18. Therefore he has mercy on whom he will have mercy, and he hardens whom he will.
19. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why does he become angry? For who shall resist his will?
20. Rather, O man, who art thou to reply against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
21. Has not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour?
22. What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much meekness the vessels of wrath, prepared for death,
23. and making known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared unto glory?
24. Even us, whom he has called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles!
25. As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.
26. And it shall come to pass that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall they be called sons of the living God.
27. Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant shall be saved;
28. when the consumption comes to an end, righteousness shall overflow, because a short sentence will the Lord execute upon the earth.
29. And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of the hosts had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and been made like unto Gomorrha.
30. What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not follow after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, that is to say, the righteousness which is by faith,
31. and Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.