In it God's way of uprightness is disclosed through faith and for faith, just as the Scripture says, "The upright will have life because of his faith."

For, as the Scripture says, the very name of God is abused among the heathen, because of you!

By no means! God must prove true, though every man be false; as the Scripture says, "That you may be shown to be upright in what you say, And win your case when you go into court."

But if our wrongdoing brings out the uprightness of God, what are we to say? Is it wrong in God (I am putting it in ordinary human terms) to inflict punishment?

But, you say, if a falsehood of mine has brought great honor to God by bringing out his truthfulness, why am I tried for being a sinner?

And why not say, as people abuse us for saying and charge us with saying, "Let us do evil that good may come out of it"? Such people will be condemned as they deserve!

As the Scripture says, "There is not a single man who is upright,

Now we know that everything the Law says is addressed to those under its authority, so that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world be made accountable to God.

Then what are we to say about our ancestor Abraham?

for what does the Scripture say? "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness."

So David himself says of the happiness of those to whom God credits uprightness without any reference to their actions,

Does this happiness apply to those who are circumcised, or to those who are uncircumcised as well? What we say is, Abraham's faith was credited to him as uprightness.

as the Scripture says, "I have made you the father of many nations." The promise is guaranteed in the very sight of God in whom he had faith, who can bring the dead to life and call into being what does not exist.

As the Scripture says, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long, We are treated like sheep to be slaughtered."

when I say that I am greatly pained and my heart is constantly distressed,

That is to say, it is not his physical descendants who are children of God, but his descendants born in fulfilment of the promise who are considered his true posterity.

As the Scripture says, "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau."

The Scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you to your position for the very purpose of displaying my power in dealing with you, and making my name known all over the world."

On the contrary, who are you, my friend, to answer back to God? Can something a man shapes say to the man who shaped it, "Why did you make me like this?"

Just as he says in Hosea, "I will call a people that was not mine, my people, And her who was not beloved, my beloved,

as the Scripture says, "See, I will put a stone on Zion to make people stumble, and a rock to trip over, But no one who has faith in it will be disappointed."

But this is what the uprightness that springs from faith says: "Do not say to yourself, 'Who will go up to heaven?' " that is, to bring Christ down;

No! This is what it says: "God's message is close to you, on your lips and in your mind"??hat is, the message about faith that we preach.

For the Scripture says, "No one who has faith in him will be disappointed."

And how are men to preach unless they are sent to do it? As the Scripture says, "How welcome is the coming of those who bring good news!"

It is true, they have not all accepted the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what we have told?"

God has not repudiated his people, which he had marked out from the first. Do you not know what the Scripture says in speaking of Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel?

The rest became callous; as the Scripture says, "God has thrown them into a state of spiritual insensibility, with eyes that cannot see and cars that cannot hear, that has lasted down to this day."

"But," you will say, "branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in!"

and then all Israel will be saved, just as the Scripture says, "The deliverer will come from Zion, He will drive all ungodliness away from Jacob,

Do not take your revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's anger, for the Scripture says, "Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay them back, says the Lord."

Who are you to criticize someone else's servant? It is for his own master to say whether he succeeds or fails; and he will succeed, for the Master can make him do so.

For the Scripture says, "As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bend before me, And every tongue will make its confession to God."

Christ did not please himself, but as the Scripture says, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me."

and causing the heathen to praise God for his mercy; as the Scripture says, "I will give thanks to you for this among the heathen, And sing in honor of your name."

Again Isaiah says, "The descendant of Jesse will come, The one who is to rise to rule the heathen; The heathen will set their hopes on him."

As the Scripture says, "They who have never been told of him will see, And they who have never heard will understand!"