Romans 10

¹ Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God is for Israel, that they may be saved.

² For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

³ For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

⁴ For Christ is the fulfillment¹ of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness of the law, “The one who does them will live by them.”²

⁶ But the righteousness which is of faith says this, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’³ (that is, to bring Christ down);

⁷ or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’⁴ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.)”

⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart;”⁵ that is, the word of faith which we preach:

⁹ that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

¹⁰ For with the heart one believes resulting in righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made resulting in salvation.

¹¹ For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”⁶

¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich to all who call on him.

¹³ For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”⁷

¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?

¹⁵ And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”⁸

¹⁶ But they didn’t all listen to the glad news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”⁹

¹⁷ So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

¹⁸ But I say, didn’t they hear? Yes, most certainly, “Their sound went out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”¹⁰

¹⁹ But I ask, didn’t Israel know? First Moses says, “I will provoke you to jealousy with that which is no nation. I will make you angry with a nation void of understanding.”¹¹

²⁰ Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”¹²

²¹ But about Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”¹³