God and His People
1 I am speaking the truth; I belong to Christ and I do not lie. My conscience, ruled by the Holy Spirit, also assures me that I am not lying 2 when I say how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart 3 for my people, my own flesh and blood! For their sake I could wish that I myself were under God's curse and separated from Christ. 4 They are God's people; he made them his children and revealed his glory to them; he made his covenants with them and gave them the Law; they have the true worship; they have received God's promises; 5 they are descended from the famous Hebrew ancestors; and Christ, as a human being, belongs to their race. May God, who rules over all, be praised forever! Amen.
6 I am not saying that the promise of God has failed; for not all the people of Israel are the people of God. 7 Nor are all of Abraham's descendants the children of God. God said to Abraham, “It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised you.” 8 This means that the children born in the usual way are not the children of God; instead, the children born as a result of God's promise are regarded as the true descendants. 9 For God's promise was made in these words: “At the right time I will come back, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 And this is not all. For Rebecca's two sons had the same father, our ancestor Isaac. 11-12 But in order that the choice of one son might be completely the result of God's own purpose, God said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” He said this before they were born, before they had done anything either good or bad; so God's choice was based on his call, and not on anything they had done. 13 As the scripture says, “I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau.”
14 Shall we say, then, that God is unjust? Not at all. 15 For he said to Moses, “I will have mercy on anyone I wish; I will take pity on anyone I wish.” 16 So then, everything depends, not on what we humans want or do, but only on God's mercy. 17 For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, “I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world.” 18 So then, God has mercy on anyone he wishes, and he makes stubborn anyone he wishes.
God's Anger and Mercy
19 But one of you will say to me, “If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God's will?” 20 But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, “Why did you make me like this?” 21 After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use.
22 And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show his anger and to make his power known. But he was very patient in enduring those who were the objects of his anger, who were doomed to destruction. 23 And he also wanted to reveal his abundant glory, which was poured out on us who are the objects of his mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory. 24 For we are the people he called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles. 25 This is what he says in the book of Hosea:
“The people who were not mine
I will call ‘My People.’
The nation that I did not love
I will call ‘My Beloved.’
26 And in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called the children of the living God.”
27 And Isaiah exclaims about Israel: “Even if the people of Israel are as many as the grains of sand by the sea, yet only a few of them will be saved; 28 for the Lord will quickly settle his full account with the world.” 29 It is as Isaiah had said before, “If the Lord Almighty had not left us some descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.”
Israel and the Gospel
30 So we say that the Gentiles, who were not trying to put themselves right with God, were put right with him through faith; 31 while God's people, who were seeking a law that would put them right with God, did not find it. 32 And why not? Because they did not depend on faith but on what they did. And so they stumbled over the “stumbling stone” 33 that the scripture speaks of:
“Look, I place in Zion a stone
that will make people stumble,
a rock that will make them fall.
But whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
Rəmwa na led̶a əllëɽəŋu luṯənu
1 Igandəlwaɽəṯia ŋen ŋəd̶eṯəm ŋen ŋanṯa egafo ig-Almasiya, egaber egagəbalo. Ara gəlëɽəñi igi gaɽwata d̶eṯəm ed̶aməd̶aṯa ig-Usila Gətəɽe, 2 ṯa egwana kaiñ na d̶u d̶əlëɽəñi d̶aiñəsa no eŋen iŋi jaica jaica, 3 ŋen ŋanṯa egwonaṯa ṯa ŋen aŋəfeṯe ṯa yebuŋəni, na itərinṯi ig-Almasiya ŋen ŋanṯa lorldaiñ, led̶a əllëɽəñi egaŋəno 4 ŋen ŋanṯa lënəŋulu laɽo led̶a l-Israyil. Lënəŋulu lerṯo ŋen ṯa laɽo ləd̶ia, na lerṯo ŋaɽrwa ŋə-Rəmwa, na d̶ərreid̶ia ŋen Rəmwara, na d̶əneinia d̶-Alganun, na ŋen ŋəd̶əbuŋṯia na ŋen ŋëɽənu. 5 Lënəŋulu lerṯo eṯenanda ləpənde na lënəŋulu laləŋo Almasiya egaŋəno. Rəmwa irri rəməñaṯo laŋge pred̶ arabuŋənṯi bəɽəbəte. Amin.
6 Orn gerṯe ŋen ŋa-Rəmwa iŋi ŋafo ŋobəla. Ŋen ŋanṯa gerṯe led̶a pred̶ ildi laləŋənu eled̶a l-Israyil laɽo l-Israyil d̶urri, 7 na lënəŋulu gerṯe fəŋulu pred̶ laɽo ləd̶ia l-Ibrayim ŋen ŋanṯa laləŋənu iŋu orn Rəmwa ralwaɽəṯu Ibrayim ṯa, “Ləd̶ia əllaɽəŋa lid̶i alləŋəni naɽe Isag.” 8 Na fəŋen iŋi ṯa gerṯe led̶a ildi laləŋənu egaŋəno naɽe Ibrayim ləɽo ñere ñə-Rəmwa orn led̶a ildi lid̶ənu ñere ŋenŋa iŋi Rəmwa rëɽu, lënəŋulu laɽo ləd̶ia d̶urri. 9 Na fəŋen iŋi Rəmwa rëɽu. Rəmwa raṯa ṯa, “Iliga ildi lëɽənu igid̶i yoɽəbəd̶ia, na Sara gid̶i aŋələŋe id̶ia.”
10 Gerṯe ŋen iŋi ikərəŋ orn ŋen ŋëni com ŋə-Refəgga igi gid̶ənu gwonḏeico an egəbaŋgen gonto igi gəbërnia Isag, gënəŋu igi gəɽo d̶aṯa gəpənde. 11 Ləd̶ia lamulu lələŋənia, ŋen lënəŋulu lero ləbəd̶ia ŋen ŋənəŋ ŋəŋəra walla ŋeicia, Rəmwa rid̶u ŋen ṯa d̶ëɽia ŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu ad̶əfeṯe məldin gerṯe eŋen iŋi led̶a ləbəd̶ia orn eŋen ŋəd̶undəd̶ia d̶əlëɽəŋu. 12 Na Rəmwa reiṯu Refəgga ṯa, “Id̶ia goɽra gid̶i aŋəd̶uɽəd̶ənṯi id̶ia gəta.” 13 Garno ŋen ŋəwërd̶ənu ṯa, “Egafo igəbwa Yagubga orn eganed̶o Isu.”
14 Ləgabaṯrau? Rəmwa rerṯo ŋen ŋəɽiano? Ndo, kwai kwai! 15 Ŋen ŋanṯa rënəŋu ralwaɽəṯu Musa ṯa, “Igid̶i yerṯe ŋəbaiya eled̶a pred̶ ildi igid̶i yerṯe ŋəbaiya iŋulu, na igid̶i yegeiyace led̶a pred̶ ŋəbaiya nano ildi egwonaṯa ṯa yeləgeiyace ŋəbaiya nano.” 16 Nṯia ŋen iŋi ŋeṯo ed̶a nano ŋaber ŋeṯo eŋen pred̶ gënəŋu gwonaṯa walla eŋen ŋəŋəmëɽria gënəŋu gəbəd̶ia orn i-Rəmwa irri rerṯo ŋəbaiyano. 17 Ad̶am gə-Rəmwa galwaɽəṯu Fərawon ṯa, “Igatud̶iaŋa niŋid̶i, ṯa yërrəŋaid̶i ŋabəɽa ŋəlëɽəñi eŋa na ṯa irəŋ gəlëɽəñi aŋërrəŋaid̶əni alo pred̶.” 18 Nṯia Rəmwa rerṯo ŋəbaiya eled̶a pred̶ rënəŋu rəlwonaṯa, na rëbəd̶ia led̶a pred̶ ləbɽwaŋəno enare ildi rënəŋu rəlwonaṯa ṯia.
Đeiciano d̶ə-Rəmwa na ŋəbaiyano ŋəlëɽəŋu
19 Nṯia ñaŋ ñagaiñeɽəd̶ia nəñaṯa ṯa, “Rəmwa randəsəkia məldin ṯa ñagafo mənna ed̶a? Ŋen ŋanṯa əsëgi gəɽwad̶aṯa gəd̶wad̶a ŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu?” 20 Orn ŋa agaɽo əsëgi, ya ed̶a ṯa agukuɽəbiṯia Rəmwa eŋen? Ŋaica ŋəd̶əlata ŋaɽwad̶aṯa ŋəlwaɽəṯia wuji igi gəlata ṯa, “Agaiñid̶ia ṯia ed̶a?” 21 Wuji igi gəlata gero gəberṯia ŋabəɽa eŋaica, ṯa gënəŋu gaɽwad̶aṯa gəbəd̶ia eŋaica ŋuṯənu waŋge gəŋəra ŋaiyo na waŋge gəŋəmëɽria? Wuji gəlata na ɽia 22 Na ŋen ŋaɽəṯau ndə Rəmwa rafo rwonaṯa ṯa rabaŋaicia led̶a d̶eiciano d̶əlëɽəŋu na ṯa rëbəd̶ia ŋabəɽa ŋəlëɽəŋu ŋələŋinia, orn rafo raɽiñaṯa ŋen elaŋge ildi rënəŋu reicəṯəlano, lënəŋulu lad̶uɽeinu d̶əñid̶i ṯa aləməndëd̶əni, 23 ṯa rënəŋu arid̶i d̶əŋəra kaiñ d̶əŋaɽrwa ŋəlëɽəŋu d̶ërrəŋeid̶ənu ŋen ŋanṯa laŋge ildi Rəmwa rerṯəlau ŋəbaiyano ildi rënəŋu rid̶əlo ləd̶uɽeinu pənde ṯa alënṯi ed̶əɽəbəd̶ia eŋen ŋəŋaɽrwa ŋəlëɽəŋu? 24 Lëndr ləgaɽr led̶a ildi rënəŋu rundəd̶əlo, gerṯe ig-Alyawuḏ ikərəŋ orn com eled̶a ildi gerṯe laɽo Alyawuḏ. 25 Garno Rəmwa rəlwaɽo egad̶am g-Usiya ṯa,
“Igid̶i eme led̶a ildi gerṯe ləlëɽəñi na igid̶i ilënəci, ‘Led̶a əllëɽəñi’.
a igid̶i emame igi gero gəbwaniya na igid̶i emënəci, ‘Gəbwaniya’.
26 Na alo isi ŋen ŋəlwaɽeinau ṯa,
‘Gerṯe ñagaɽo led̶a əllëɽəñi,
lënəŋulu lid̶i alërrənijəm led̶a ɽ-Rəmwa irri rəməṯia’.”
27 Na com Isaiya gaɽwata pəlelo eŋen ŋ-Israyil ṯa, “Ndə led̶a l-Israyil lwaiña larno ebia ged̶əbarlda, orn ləmaṯan iŋulu lid̶i alëbərni ikərəŋ, 28 ŋen ŋanṯa Eləŋ Rəmwa rid̶i arid̶i d̶akəmia d̶əlëɽəŋu ṯəɽom alo taltal.” 29 Garno gaṯa təŋ ṯa,
“Gəbanṯa Eləŋ gəlaŋge pred̶ gero gəŋgiṯia led̶a ləmaṯan ildi lələŋənu enanda,
ṯa ñagafo ñagid̶ənu ñagarno led̶a lalo yi-Səḏum na lalo yi-Gamura.”
Ŋen Bulus gəṯurṯia Rəmwa ŋen ŋanṯa led̶a l-Israyil
30 Nṯia ləgabaṯrau? Led̶a ildi gerṯe laɽo Alyawuḏ na lafo lero labapwaiña ŋen ṯa alɽeṯe ləd̶urwaṯo eŋen Rəmwa nëiñua, lënəŋulu laneinu d̶əd̶urwaṯa eŋen na d̶əd̶urwaṯa id̶i eŋen Rəmwa nëiñua d̶afo eŋen ŋəd̶wonaṯa. 31 Na led̶a l-Israyil ildi ləlaldiña ŋen id̶urṯu ŋ-Alganun isi yemama d̶əd̶urwaṯa eŋen Rəmwa nëiñua lënəŋulu lobəlaṯo eŋen iŋi. 32 Na ed̶a? Ŋen ŋanṯa lënəŋulu lero ləlaldiña eŋen ŋəd̶wonaṯa orn eŋen ŋəlaŋge lënəŋulu lid̶əlo. Lënəŋulu labëɽəŋeinia lwandrala ildi ləbəd̶ia led̶a labëɽəŋeinia 33 Garno ŋen ŋəwërd̶ənu ṯa.
“Seicr, igëɽu lwandra alo yi-Siyun ildi ləbəd̶ia led̶a labëɽəŋeinia,
lwandra ṯa alëɽəŋaici led̶a,
orn ed̶a gənəŋ igi gëndu ŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu gaber gid̶i aŋid̶əni girəwano.”