1Ó Izrael! Ó môj národ! Ako veľmi túžim, aby si aj ty našiel cestu ku Kristovi!2Trápim sa a srdce ma neprestajne bolí pre teba.3Kristus vie a môže to dosvedčiť aj Svätý Duch, že by som radšej sám chcel byť zatratený, keby to mohlo teba zachrániť. Boh vám dal tak mnoho, a predsa ho nechcete poslúchať.4Prijal vás ako svoj vyvolený národ, slávne vás viedol dejinami, uzatváral s vami zmluvy, dával vám svoje zákony, naučil vás, ako ho máte uctievať, a dal vám aj krásne zasľúbenia.5Mali ste slávnych praotcov a z vášho národa pochádza aj Kristus. Jeho, ktorý je Bohom a Vládcom všetkého, zvelebujeme naveky!6Ale Božie slovo neprestalo platiť: Izraelitmi nie sú všetci tí, čo odvodzujú svoj rodokmeň od Abraháma.7Aj keď sú to potomkovia Abrahámovi, Boh mal na mysli iba Izáka, keď Sáre sľúbil Syna.8To znamená, že nie všetci potomkovia Abraháma sú Božími deťmi, ale iba tí, čo sa narodili z Božieho sľubu.9Aj o synoch, ktorých mal Izák so svojou ženou Rebekou,10rozhodol Boh už pred ich narodením.11Boh určil ich vzájomné postavenie ešte skôr, ako sa o to mohli zaslúžiť. Zdôraznil tým, že má právo rozhodovať o ľuďoch celkom slobodne, bez ohľadu na to, či robia dobre alebo zle.12Rebeke oznámil, že starší zo synov bude slúžiť mladšiemu.13V Písme sa o tom hovorí: „Miloval som Jakoba, ale Ezaua som nenávidel.“
Nikto nemá nárok na Božie milosrdenstvo
14Znamená to azda, že Boh je nespravodlivý? Rozhodne nie!15Mojžišovi predsa povedal: „Prejavím svoju priazeň, komu chcem, a zľutujem sa, nad kým chcem.“16Nezáleží teda na tom, či niekto stojí o Božiu priazeň, alebo sa o ňu tvrdo usiluje, ale či sa Boh nad ním zľutuje.17Príkladom toho je faraón, egyptský kráľ, ktorý sa postavil proti Božím príkazom. Je o ňom napísané: „Ale predsa som ťa zachoval, aby som ti ukázal svoju moc, aby sa hlásalo moje meno v celej krajine.“18Boh sa teda zmiluje, nad kým chce, a komu chce, tomu milosť odoprie.
Božie a ľudské meradlá sú iné
19Možno niekto namietne: Prečo nás teda Boh karhá? Môžeme sa vzoprieť jeho vôli?20Ale, človeče, kto si, že si trúfaš hádať sa s Bohom? Hovorí azda výrobok svojmu tvorcovi: Prečo si ma urobil práve takto?21Azda sa hrnčiar spytuje hliny, či z nej má sformovať vázu alebo misu?22Nemohol aj Boh ukázať svoj hnev, ale aj svoju zhovievavosť voči ľuďom zrelým na potrestanie,23a nemá právo prejaviť svoju dobrotu k ľuďom, ktorých zahrnul milosrdenstvom a určil pre večnú slávu?24Podobne povolal aj nás, a to nielen Židov, ale aj z pohanských národov,25ako to naznačuje už prorok Ozeáš: „Ľud, ktorý nie je môj, povolám za svoj ľud a Nemilovanú nazvem Milovanou“.26A na inom mieste: „Tí, o ktorých bolo povedané: Vy nie ste môj ľud, budú nazvaní synmi Boha živého.“27O Izraelovi hovorí Izaiáš: „Keby ich bolo ako morského piesku, len hŕstka sa ich zachráni.28Lebo Hospodin vykoná svoj súd na zemi rýchlo a úplne.“29A ešte predtým Izaiáš predpovedal: „Keby nám Hospodin zástupov nebol ponechal potomstvo, boli by sme spustli ako Sodoma a Gomore by sme sa podobali.“
Nesprávna cesta k Bohu
30Čo teda povieme nakoniec? To, že pohania, ktorí nehľadali cestu k Bohu, sa k nemu dostali, a to vierou v Ježiša Krista,31ale Izrael, vyvolený národ, ktorý sa usiloval získať si spravodlivosť pred Bohom zachovávaním jeho zákonov, spravodlivosť nikdy nedosiahol.32Prečo? Lebo sa usiloval získať spravodlivosť svojimi skutkami, a nie vierou v Krista. Preto sa im Kristus stal „kameňom úrazu“.33O ňom už prorok Izaiáš napísal: „Hľa, kladiem na Sion kameň úrazu a skalu pohoršenia, ale kto v neho verí, nebude zahanbený.“
1I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— (Rim 1,9; 2 Kor 11,10; 2 Kor 12,19; Gal 1,20; 1 Tim 2,7)2that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.3For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[1] my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Ex 32,32; Rim 11,14; 1 Kor 12,3; 1 Kor 16,22; Gal 1,8)4They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. (Gn 17,2; Ex 4,22; Ex 40,34; Dt 4,14; Dt 29,14; 1 Sam 4,21; 1 Kr 8,11; Ž 147,19; Jn 4,22; Sk 13,32; Rim 2,28; Rim 8,15; Rim 9,6; Rim 12,1; Gal 4,24; Gal 6,16; Ef 2,12; Hebr 9,1)5To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Jn 1,1; Rim 1,25; Rim 11,28; 2 Kor 11,31; Ef 4,6; Kol 1,16; Hebr 1,8)6But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,7and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” (Gn 21,12; Jn 8,33; Gal 3,29; Gal 4,23; Hebr 11,18)8This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Gal 4,23; Gal 4,28)9For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Gn 17,21; Gn 18,10; Gn 18,14)10And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, (Gn 25,21)11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— (Rim 4,17; Rim 8,28)12she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” (Gn 25,23)13As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Mal 1,2)14What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! (Dt 32,4; 2 Krn 19,7; Jób 8,3; Jób 34,10; Ž 92,15)15For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” (Ex 33,19)16So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[2] but on God, who has mercy.17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Ex 9,16)18So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.19You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” (2 Krn 20,6; Jób 9,12; Dan 4,35)20But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” (Jób 33,13; Iz 29,16; Iz 45,9)21Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (Iz 64,8; Jer 18,6; 2 Tim 2,20)22What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (Prís 16,4; Sk 9,15; Rim 9,21; Rim 9,23; 1 Pt 2,8)23in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— (Rim 2,4; Rim 8,29; Ef 3,16)24even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? (Rim 3,29; Rim 8,28)25As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” (Oz 2,23; 1 Pt 2,10)26“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’” (Oz 1,10; Mt 16,16; Rim 8,14)27And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel[3] be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, (Iz 10,22; Oz 1,10; Rim 11,5)28for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.”29And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” (Dt 29,23; Iz 1,9; Iz 13,19; Jer 49,18; Jer 50,40; Am 4,11; Jak 5,4)
Israel’s Unbelief
30What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; (Rim 1,17; Rim 3,21; Rim 10,6; Rim 10,20; Gal 2,16; Gal 3,24; Flp 3,9; Hebr 11,7)31but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[4] did not succeed in reaching that law. (Rim 10,2; Rim 11,7; Gal 5,4)32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, (1 Pt 2,8)33as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Ž 118,22; Iz 8,14; Iz 28,16; Iz 49,23; Joel 2,26; Rim 10,11; 1 Pt 2,6)