Romans 9

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

1I am telling the truth, because I belong to Christ. I am not lying. God's Holy Spirit helps me know my heart is honest.

2That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

2There is a heavy sadness inside me. The ache in my heart never stops.

3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

3I care so much about my own people, my own family. I could even wish to be cursed and cut off from Christ for them.

Note"Accursed from Christ" means cursed and cut off from Christ. Paul is saying how much he loves his people, not that this could really happen.

4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

4They are the people of Israel. God took them as his own children. He let them see his shining greatness. He made agreements and promises with them. He gave them his law and showed them how to worship him.

5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

5Their family fathers were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Christ was born into that same family. He is God over all, and we praise him forever. Amen.

6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

6God's promise did not fail. Not everyone born into Israel's family really belongs to Israel.

7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

7Being part of Abraham's family does not make them all his true children. God said, "Your family line will be counted through Isaac."

8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

8So being born into the family is not what makes someone God's child. God's children are the ones born because God promised them.

9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.

9Here is the promise God made: "At the right time I will come back. Sarah will have a son."

10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

10There is more to say. Rebecca was going to have twin boys. Their father was Isaac, one of our family fathers.

11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

11The twins were not born yet. They had done nothing good and nothing bad. God chose anyway. His plan stands because he calls people, not because of anything they have done.

12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.

12God said to Rebecca, "The older boy will serve the younger boy."

13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

13The Bible says it this way: "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau."

14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

14So what should we say? Is God unfair? No, not at all.

15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

15God told Moses, "I will be kind to whoever I choose. I will feel pity for whoever I choose."

16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

16So it does not depend on what people want or how hard they try. It depends on God, who is kind.

17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.

17In the Bible God says to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt: "I put you where you are for this reason. I wanted to show my power through you. I wanted my name known all over the earth."

18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

18So God is kind to whoever he chooses. And he makes stubborn whoever he chooses.

19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?

19Someone might say to me, "Then why does God still blame us? Nobody can stop what God wants."

20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

20But who are you to talk back to God? Can a clay pot ask its maker, "Why did you make me like this?"

21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

21A potter is someone who shapes clay into pots. From one lump he may make one pot for special days and another for everyday jobs. He is allowed to do that.

22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

22God wanted to show his anger and his power. But he waited very patiently with the pots that were headed for breaking.

23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

23He also wanted to show how rich and bright his glory is. He showed it to the pots he was kind to. He got them ready for that long before.

24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

24Those pots are us. God called us. Some of us are Jewish, and some of us are not.

25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

25God says it in the book of Hosea: "I will call them 'My people,' though they were not my people. I will call her 'My loved one,' though she was not loved."

NoteThe KJV uses old spellings for two names. "Osee" is Hosea, and "Esaias" (verses 27 and 29) is Isaiah. Both were prophets, people who told others what God said.

26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

26"And in the very place where they were told, 'You are not my people,' there they will be called children of the living God."

27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

27Isaiah calls out loud about Israel: "Israel's people may be as many as the sand at the sea. Even so, only a small number will be saved."

28For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.

28"The Lord will finish what he said he would do. He will do it fully and quickly on the earth."

29And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

29Isaiah also said this earlier: "The Lord of Armies let some of our family live on. If he had not, we would have ended up like Sodom and Gomorrah."

Note"Lord of Sabaoth" is an old way of saying "Lord of Armies." It is a name for God that means he is in charge of everything.

30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

30So what should we say? People from other nations were not even trying to be right with God. Yet they were made right with him, by trusting him.

31But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

31Israel worked hard at keeping the law to be right with God. But they never got there.

32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

32Why not? Because they tried by their own hard work instead of trusting God. They tripped over the stone that makes people trip.

33As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

33The Bible says: "Look, I am putting a stone in Zion. People trip over it and fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be ashamed."

NoteZion (spelled "Sion" in the KJV) is a hill in the city of Jerusalem. The name is often used to mean the whole city.