23. God waited with patience so that he could make known his rich glory. He wanted to give that glory to the people who receive his mercy. He has prepared these people to have his glory, and
24. we are those people whom God called. He called us from the Jews and from the non-Jews.
25. As the Scripture says in Hosea:“I will say, ‘You are my people’to those I had called ‘not my people.’And I will show my loveto those people I did not love.” Hosea 2:1, 23
26. “Now it is said to Israel,‘You are not my people.’But later they will be called‘children of the living God.’” Hosea 1:10
27. And Isaiah cries out about Israel:“There are so many people of Israel.They are like the grains of sand by the sea.But only a few of them will be saved.
28. For the Lord will quickly and completely punish the people on the earth.” Isaiah 10:22-23
29. It is as Isaiah said:“The Lord of heaven’s armiesallowed a few of our descendants to live.Otherwise we would have been completely destroyedlike the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.” Isaiah 1:9
30. So what does all this mean? It means this: the non-Jews were not trying to make themselves right with God. But they were made right with God because of their faith.
31. And the people of Israel tried to follow a law to make themselves right with God. But they did not succeed,