1Brothers, the pleasure indeed of my heart, and my supplication that [is] to God for Israel, is—for salvation;
2for I bear them testimony that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge,
3for not knowing the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God.
4For Christ is an end of law for righteousness to everyone who is believing, 5for Moses describes the righteousness that [is] of the Law, that, “The man who did them will live in them,” 6and the righteousness of faith thus speaks: “You may not say in your heart, Who will go up to Heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7or, “Who will go down to the abyss?” (that is, to bring up Christ out of the dead). 8But what does it say? “The saying is near you—in your mouth, and in your heart”: that is, the saying of the faith that we preach; 9that if you may confess with your mouth that Jesus [is] LORD, and may believe in your heart that God raised Him out of the dead, you will be saved, 10for with the heart [one] believes to righteousness, and with the mouth is confession made to salvation; 11for the Writing says, “Everyone who is believing on Him will not be ashamed,” 12for there is no difference between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord of all [is] rich to all those calling on Him, 13for “Everyone who, if he may have called on the Name of the LORD, will be saved.” 14How then will they call on [Him] in whom they did not believe? And how will they believe [on Him] of whom they did not hear? And how will they hear apart from one preaching? 15And how will they preach, if they may not be sent? According as it has been written: “How beautiful the feet of those proclaiming good tidings of peace, of those proclaiming good tidings of the good things!” 16But they were not all obedient to the good tidings, for Isaiah says, “LORD, who gave credence to our report?” 17So then faith [is] by a report, and the report through a saying of God, 18but I say, did they not hear? Yes, indeed, “their voice went forth to all the earth, and their sayings to the ends of the habitable world.” 19But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy by [that which is] not a nation, "" By an unintelligent nation I will anger you,” 20and Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those not seeking Me; I became visible to those not inquiring after Me”; 21and to Israel He says, “All the day I stretched out My hands to a people unbelieving and contradicting.” |