Dieva brīvā izvēle
1 Es saku patiesību Kristū, es nemeloju, arī mana sirdsapziņa to apliecina Svētajā Garā, 2 ka man ir lielas bēdas un nemitīgas sirds sāpes. 3 Jo es vēlētos pats būt nolādēts, nošķirts no Kristus, par labu saviem brāļiem, saviem miesīgajiem tautiešiem 4 israēliešiem, kam pieder dēla tiesības, godība, derības, bauslības noteikumi, dievkalpošana un apsolījumi. 5 Viņiem ir tēvi, no kuriem pēc savas miesas dabas ir arī Kristus, kas ir Dievs pār visiem, augsti slavēts mūžīgi! Āmen! 6 Tomēr nav tā, ka Dieva vārds nebūtu piepildījies. Ne jau visi, kas cēlušies no Israēla, ir Israēls, 7 nedz arī viņi visi ir bērni tādēļ vien, ka ir Ābrahāma pēcnācēji, bet gan: tie, kas nāk no Īzaka, tiks saukti par taviem pēcnācējiem. 8 Tas nozīmē, ka ne jau miesas bērni ir Dieva bērni, bet gan apsolījuma bērni tiek uzskatīti par Ābrahāma pēcnācējiem. 9 Un apsolījuma vārdi ir šādi: ap šo pašu laiku es nākšu, un tad Sārai būs dēls. 10 Ne tikai tas vien, arī ar Rebeku tā notika, kad viņa bija grūta no mūsu cilts tēva Īzaka, 11 pirms dēli vēl bija dzimuši, pirms darījuši ko labu vai ļaunu – tādēļ vien, lai Dieva nodoms piepildītos pēc viņa paša izvēles: 12 nevis pēc darbiem, bet pateicoties tam, kas aicinājis, – Rebekai tika sacīts: vecākais kalpos jaunākajam, 13 kā ir rakstīts: Jēkabu es iemīlēju, bet Ēsavu ienīdu. 14 Ko nu teiksim? Vai Dievs ir netaisns? Nē, taču! 15 Jo Mozum viņš saka: es apžēlošos par to, par ko apžēlošos, un, kam gribu līdzjust, tam jutīšu līdzi. 16 Tiešām ne no cilvēka gribēšanas vai skriešanas – viss nāk no Dieva, kas apžēlojas. 17 Tā Raksti saka uz faraonu: es tādēļ esmu tevi pacēlis, lai pie tevis parādītu savu spēku un mans vārds tiktu daudzināts visā pasaulē. 18 Tā nu Dievs, kuru grib, to apžēlo un, kuru grib, to nocietina.
Dieva dusmas un žēlastība
19 Tu man varbūt jautāsi: kādēļ viņš vēl nosoda? Kas tad var stāvēt pretī viņa gribai? 20 Bet, cilvēk, kas tu tāds esi, ka runā pretī Dievam? Vai tad veidojums var sacīt savam veidotājam: kādēļ tu mani tādu esi izveidojis? 21 Vai tad podniekam nav varas pār mālu, ka viņš no vienas un tās pašas pikas gatavo vienu trauku godam un otru negodam? 22 Bet ko tad, ja Dievs, gribēdams parādīt savu dusmību un savu varu, lielā lēnprātībā ir pacietis iznīcībai paredzētos dusmības traukus 23 un parādījis savas godības bagātību pār žēlastības traukiem, ko viņš jau iepriekš sagatavojis godībai? 24 Tādus viņš aicinājis arī mūs – ne tikai no jūdiem, arī no pagāniem. 25 Kā Hozejas grāmatā viņš saka:
es saukšu par savu tautu to,
kas nav mana tauta,
un savu neiemīlēto par iemīlētu,
26 un, kur tiem bija sacīts:
jūs neesat mana tauta, –
tur tie tiks saukti:
dzīvā Dieva dēli.
27 Bet Jesaja par Israēlu izsaucas:
pat ja Israēla dēlu skaits būs kā jūras smiltis, tikai pārpalikums izglābsies!
28 Jo Kungs to darīs, šo vārdu piepildīdams un pasteidzinādams virs zemes.
29 Kā Jesaja to jau iepriekš pasludinājis:
ja Pulku Kungs nebūtu
mums atstājis kādu sēklu,
mēs būtu kļuvuši kā Sodoma
un līdzinātos Gomorai.
Israēls un evaņģēlijs
30 Ko nu sacīsim? Pagāni, kas nav dzinušies pēc taisnības, ir saņēmuši taisnību – taisnību, kas ir no ticības. 31 Bet Israēls, pēc taisnības bauslības dzīdamies, nav bauslību sasniedzis. 32 Kādēļ? Tādēļ, ka viņi to darīja nevis ticībā, bet darbos, un tie ir paklupuši pret klupšanas akmeni, 33 kā ir rakstīts:
redzi, es lieku Ciānā klupšanas akmeni
un piedauzības klinti;
bet, kas tic uz viņu, nepaliks kaunā.
God's Choice of Israel
1 I am a follower of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is a witness to my conscience. So I tell the truth and I am not lying when I say 2 my heart is broken and I am in great sorrow. 3 I would gladly be placed under God's curse and be separated from Christ for the good of my own people. 4 They are the descendants of Israel, and they are also God's chosen people. God showed them his glory. He made agreements with them and gave them his Law. The temple is theirs and so are the promises that God made to them. 5 They have those famous ancestors, who were also the ancestors of the Christ. I pray that God, who rules over all, will be praised forever! Amen.
6 It cannot be said that God broke his promise. After all, not all of the people of Israel are the true people of God. 7-8 In fact, when God made the promise to Abraham, he meant only Abraham's descendants by his son Isaac. God was talking only about Isaac when he promised 9 Sarah, “At this time next year I will return, and you will already have a son.”
10 Don't forget what happened to the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. 11-12 Even before they were born or had done anything good or bad, the Lord told Rebekah that her older son would serve the younger one. The Lord said this to show he makes his own choices and it wasn't because of anything either of them had done. 13 That's why the Scriptures say that the Lord liked Jacob more than Esau.
14 Are we saying God is unfair? Certainly not! 15 The Lord told Moses that he has pity and mercy on anyone he wants to. 16 Everything then depends on God's mercy and not on what people want or do. 17 In the Scriptures the Lord says to the king of Egypt, “I let you become king, so that I could show you my power and be praised by all people on earth.” 18 Everything depends on what God decides to do, and he can either have pity on people or make them stubborn.
God's Anger and Mercy
19 Someone may ask, “How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?” 20 But, my friend, I ask, “Who do you think you are to question God? Does the clay have the right to ask the potter why he shaped it the way he did? 21 Doesn't a potter have the right to make a fancy bowl and a plain bowl out of the same lump of clay?”
22 God wanted to show his anger and reveal his power against everyone who deserved to be destroyed. But instead, he patiently put up with them. 23 He did this by showing how glorious he is when he has pity on the people he has chosen to share in his glory. 24 Whether Jews or Gentiles, we are those chosen ones, 25 just as the Lord says in the book of Hosea,
“Although they are not
my people,
I will make them my people.
I will treat with love
those nations
that have never been loved.
26 “Once they were told,
‘You are not my people.’
But in that very place
they will be called
children of the living God.”
27 And this is what the prophet Isaiah said about the people of Israel,
“The people of Israel
are as many
as the grains of sand
along the beach.
But only a few who are left
will be saved.
28 The Lord will be quick
and sure to do on earth
what he has warned
he will do.”
29 Isaiah also said,
“If the Lord All-Powerful
had not spared some
of our descendants,
we would have been destroyed
like the cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah.”
Israel and the Good News
30 What does all of this mean? It means that the Gentiles were not trying to be acceptable to God, but they found that he would accept them if they had faith. 31-32 It also means that the people of Israel were not acceptable to God. And why not? It was because they were trying to be acceptable by obeying the Law instead of by having faith in God. The people of Israel fell over the stone that makes people stumble, 33 just as God says in the Scriptures,
“Look! I am placing in Zion
a stone to make people
stumble and fall.
But those who have faith
in that one will never
be disappointed.”
