Romans 9

¹I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit,

¹我在基督裡說真話，並不謊言，有我良心被聖靈感動，給我作見證；

²that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.

²我是大有憂愁，心裡時常傷痛；

³For I could wish that I myself were accursed, [separated] from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,

³為我弟兄，我骨肉之親，就是自己被咒詛，與基督分離，我也願意。

⁴who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the [temple] service and the promises,

⁴他們是以色列人；那兒子的名分、榮耀、諸約、律法、禮儀、應許都是他們的。

⁵whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

⁵列祖就是他們的祖宗，按肉體說，基督也是從他們出來的，他是在萬有之上，永遠可稱頌的神。阿們！

⁶But [it is] not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are [descended] from Israel;

⁶這不是說神的話落了空。因為從以色列生的不都是以色列人，

⁷nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: 'THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.'

⁷也不因為是亞伯拉罕的後裔就都作他的兒女；惟獨從以撒生的才要稱為你的後裔。

⁸That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

⁸這就是說，肉身所生的兒女不是神的兒女，惟獨那應許的兒女才算是後裔。

⁹For this is the word of promise: 'AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.'

⁹因為所應許的話是這樣說：到明年這時候我要來，撒拉必生一個兒子。

¹⁰And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived [twins] by one man, our father Isaac;

¹⁰不但如此，還有利百加，既從一個人，就是從我們的祖宗以撒懷了孕，

¹¹for though [the twins] were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to [His] choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,

¹¹（雙子還沒有生下來，善惡還沒有做出來，只因要顯明神揀選人的旨意，不在乎人的行為，乃在乎召人的主。）

¹²it was said to her, 'THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.'

¹²神就對利百加說：將來大的要服事小的。

¹³Just as it is written, 'JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.'

¹³正如經上所記：雅各是我所愛的；以掃是我所惡的。

¹⁴What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

¹⁴這樣，我們可說甚麼呢？難道神有甚麼不公平麼？斷乎沒有！

¹⁵For He says to Moses, 'I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.'

¹⁵因他對摩西說：我要憐憫誰就憐憫誰，要恩待誰就恩待誰。

¹⁶So then it [does] not [depend] on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

¹⁶據此看來，這不在乎那定意的，也不在乎那奔跑的，只在乎發憐憫的神。

¹⁷For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.'

¹⁷因為經上有話向法老說：我將你興起來，特要在你身上彰顯我的權能，並要使我的名傳遍天下。

¹⁸So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

¹⁸如此看來，神要憐憫誰就憐憫誰，要叫誰剛硬就叫誰剛硬。

¹⁹You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?'

¹⁹這樣，你必對我說：他為甚麼還指責人呢？有誰抗拒他的旨意呢？

²⁰On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, 'Why did you make me like this,' will it?

²⁰你這個人哪，你是誰，竟敢向神強嘴呢？受造之物豈能對造他的說：你為甚麼這樣造我呢？

²¹Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

²¹窯匠難道沒有權柄從一團泥裡拿一塊做成貴重的器皿，又拿一塊做成卑賤的器皿麼？

²²What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

²²倘若神要顯明他的忿怒，彰顯他的權能，就多多忍耐寬容那可怒預備遭毀滅的器皿，

²³And [He did so] to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,

²³又要將他豐盛的榮耀彰顯在那蒙憐憫早預備得榮耀的器皿上。

²⁴[even] us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

²⁴這器皿就是我們被神所召的，不但是從猶太人中，也是從外邦人中。這有甚麼不可呢？

²⁵As He says also in Hosea, 'I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.''

²⁵就像神在何西阿書上說：那本來不是我子民的，我要稱為我的子民；本來不是蒙愛的，我要稱為蒙愛的。

²⁶'AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.'

²⁶從前在甚麼地方對他們說：你們不是我的子民，將來就在那裡稱他們為永生神的兒子。

²⁷Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, 'THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED;

²⁷以賽亞指著以色列人喊著說：以色列人雖多如海沙，得救的不過是剩下的餘數；

²⁸FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY.'

²⁸因為主要在世上施行他的話，叫他的話都成全，速速的完結。

²⁹And just as Isaiah foretold, 'UNLESS THE LORD OF SABAOTH HAD LEFT TO US A POSTERITY, WE WOULD HAVE BECOME LIKE SODOM, AND WOULD HAVE RESEMBLED GOMORRAH.'

²⁹又如以賽亞先前說過：若不是萬軍之主給我們存留餘種，我們早已像所多瑪，蛾摩拉的樣子了。

³⁰What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;

³⁰這樣，我們可說甚麼呢？那本來不追求義的外邦人反得了義，就是因信而得的義。

³¹but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at [that] law.

³¹但以色列人追求律法的義，反得不著律法的義。

³²Why? Because [they did] not [pursue it] by faith, but as though [it were] by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,

³²這是甚麼緣故呢？是因為他們不憑著信心求，只憑著行為求，他們正跌在那絆腳石上。

³³just as it is written, 'BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.'

³³就如經上所記：我在錫安放一塊絆腳的石頭，跌人的磐石；信靠他的人必不至於羞愧。