Romans 9:11-13
The Message
10-13 And that’s not the only time. To Rebecca, also, a promise was made that took priority over genetics. When she became pregnant by our one-of-a-kind ancestor, Isaac, and her babies were still innocent in the womb—incapable of good or bad—she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. God told Rebecca, “The firstborn of your twins will take second place.” Later that was turned into a stark epigram: “I loved Jacob; I hated Esau.”
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Romans 9:11-13
New International Version
11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(A)—in order that God’s purpose(B) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[a](C) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[b](D)
Footnotes
- Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
- Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
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