1 BRETHREN, the desire of my heart and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not an intelligent one.
3 For, ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they have not submitted to God's righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every believer.
5 For Moses writes that he who does the righteousness of the Law shall live by it.
6 But the righteousness of faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who shall ascend into heaven?' that is, to bring Christ down \'97 "
7 or, 'Who shall descend into the abyss?' " \'97 that is, to bring up Christ from the dead.
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" \'97 that is, the word of faith which we are proclaiming,
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
10 For with the heart a man believes and becomes righteous, and with the mouth he confesses and attains salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."
12 For there is no difference between Jew and Greek. For there is the same Lord of all, rich toward all who call upon him.
13 For "Every one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without some one to proclaim him?
15 How shall they proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
16 But have not all heard the good news? For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our report?"
17 So then faith comes from the report and report comes through the word of Christ.
18 But I say, it cannot be true that they have not heard, can it? On the contrary, "Their sound has gone out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the world."
19 I say, it cannot be that Israel did not know, can it? First Moses says, "I will excite you to jealousy by what is not a nation and by a foolish nation I will provoke you to anger."
20 And Isaiah makes bold to say, "I was found by those who were not seeking me: I became manifest to those who were not inquiring for me."
21 But to Israel he says, "All day long I stretched forth my hands to a people who disobey and answer back."