Romans 9

I tell the truth in al-Masih. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, ²that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed from al-Masih for my brothers' sake, my relatives according to the flesh, ⁴who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; ⁵of whom are the fathers, and from whom is al-Masih as concerning the flesh, who is over all, Allah, blessed forever. Amen.

⁶But it is not as though the word of Allah has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel. ⁷Neither, because they are Ibrahim's seed, are they all children. But, "In Ishaq will your seed be called."[1] ⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of Allah, but the children of the promise are counted as a seed. ⁹For this is a word of promise, "At the appointed time I will come, and Sarah will have a son."[2] ¹⁰Not only so, but Rebecca also conceived by one, by our father Ishaq. ¹¹For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of Allah according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, ¹²it was said to her, "The elder will serve the younger."[3] ¹³Even as it is written, "Yaqub I loved, but Esau I hated." [4]

¹⁴What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with Allah? Astaghfirullah! ¹⁵For he said to Musa, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[5] ¹⁶So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of Allah who has mercy. ¹⁷For Al-Kitab says to Firaun, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be declared in all the earth."[6] ¹⁸So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires. ¹⁹You will say then to me, "Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?" ²⁰But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against Allah? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, Why did you make me like this?[7] ²¹Or hasn't the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honour, and another for dishonour? ²²What if Allah, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction, ²³and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the nations? ²⁵As he says also in Hosea,

"I will call them 'my people,' who were not my people;

And her 'beloved,' who was not beloved."[8]

²⁶"It will happen that in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,'

They will be called 'sons of the living God.'"[9]

²⁷Shaya cries concerning Israel,

"Though the number of Bani-Israel are as the sand of the sea,

Only a remnant will be saved;

²⁸For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,

Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth."[10]

²⁹As Shaya has said before,

"Unless Allah, Lord of the universe had left us a seed,

We would have become like Sodom,

We would have been like Gomorrah."[11]

³⁰What shall we say then? That the nations, who didn't pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, that is, the righteousness which comes through faith. ³¹But Israel, following after the shariah to attain righteousness, did not attain it. ³²Why? Because they didn't seek it by faith, but as it were by obedience to shariah. They stumbled over the stumbling stone; ³³even as it is written,

"Behold, I lay in Al-Quds a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense;

Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed."[12]