17. For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, “I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world.”
18. So then, God has mercy on anyone he wishes, and he makes stubborn anyone he wishes.
19. But one of you will say to me, “If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God's will?”
20. But who are you, my friend, to answer God back? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, “Why did you make me like this?”
21. After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use.