Romans 10

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire is for Israel’s salvation. That’s my prayer to God for them. ² I can vouch for them: they are enthusiastic about God. However, it isn’t informed by knowledge. ³ They don’t submit to God’s righteousness because they don’t understand his righteousness, and they try to establish their own righteousness. ⁴ Christ is the goal of the Law, which leads to righteousness for all who have faith in God.

⁵ Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law: The person who does these things will live by them. ⁶ But the righteousness that comes from faith talks like this: Don’t say in your heart, “Who will go up into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ or “Who will go down into the region below?” (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 (that is, the message of faith that we preach). ⁹ Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation. ¹¹ The scripture says, All who have faith in him won’t be put to shame. ¹² There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives richly to all who call on him. ¹³ All who call on the Lord’s name will be saved.

¹⁴ So how can they call on someone they don’t have faith in? And how can they have faith in someone they haven’t heard of? And how can they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the good news.

¹⁶ But everyone hasn’t obeyed the good news. As Isaiah says, Lord, who has had faith in our message? ¹⁷ So, faith comes from listening, but it’s listening by means of Christ’s message. ¹⁸ But I ask you, didn’t they hear it? Definitely! Their voice has gone out into the entire earth, and their message has gone out to the corners of the inhabited world. ¹⁹ But I ask you again, didn’t Israel understand? First, Moses says, I will make you jealous of those who aren’t a people, of a people without understanding. ²⁰ And Isaiah even dares to say, I was found by those who didn’t look for me; I revealed myself to those who didn’t ask for me. ²¹ But he says about Israel, All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.