“ But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend,

惟你以色列我的仆人，雅各我所拣选的，我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔，

惟你以色列，我的仆人，雅各，我所拣选的，我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔，

惟你以色列，我的仆人，雅各，我所拣选的，我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔，

“然而，以色列啊，你是我的仆人；雅各啊，你是我拣选的，是我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔。

但你以色列，我的仆人啊！雅各，我所拣选、我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔啊！

可是你，以色列啊，我的仆人！雅各啊，我所拣选的，我朋友亚伯拉罕的后裔！

惟你以色列－我的僕人，雅各－我所揀選的，我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔，

惟你以色列，我的僕人，雅各，我所揀選的，我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔，

惟你以色列，我的僕人，雅各，我所揀選的，我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔，

「然而，以色列啊，你是我的僕人；雅各啊，你是我揀選的，是我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔。

但你以色列，我的僕人啊！雅各，我所揀選、我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔啊！

但你以色列、我的僕人、你雅各、我所揀選的、我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔、

可是你，以色列啊，我的僕人！雅各啊，我所揀選的，我朋友亞伯拉罕的後裔！

我僕以色列、我所選之雅各、我友亞伯拉罕之裔歟、

昔我眷顧亞伯拉罕、簡其後裔、以色列族雅各家、為我臣僕。

惟爾以色列我之僕、我所選之雅各、我所眷愛亞伯拉罕之苗裔、

“ But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend,

The Lord says,“ People of Israel, you are my servants. Family of Jacob, I have chosen you. You are the children of my friend Abraham.

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend—

“ But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,

“ But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.

But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend,

But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, My friend—

But thou, Israel,[ art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

“ You, my servant Israel, Jacob whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend,

“ But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham my friend,

And so it happened just as the Scriptures say:“ Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.

You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham?

“ Pay attention, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I, the Lord, made you, and I will not forget you.

That is why the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, says to the people of Israel,“ My people will no longer be ashamed or turn pale with fear.

The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother.As Isaiah said,“ Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!”And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac.But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.But what do the Scriptures say about that?“ Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

“ But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one.The Lord who made you and helps you says: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one.

What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”

You are my friends if you do what I command.I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

“ But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said.“ We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean,‘ You will be set free’?”Jesus replied,“ I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message.I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”“ Our father is Abraham!” they declared.“ No,” Jesus replied,“ for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example.Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing.No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied,“ We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”Jesus told them,“ If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It’s because you can’t even hear me!For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Don’t just say to each other,‘ We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says,“ Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own special treasure.

“ Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘ The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.

Surely you are still our Father! Even if Abraham and Jacob would disown us, Lord, you would still be our Father. You are our Redeemer from ages past.

For he remembered his sacred promise to his servant Abraham.So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing.He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted.All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the Lord!

Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.

He said to me,“ You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory.”

“ Listen to me, O family of Jacob, Israel my chosen one! I alone am God, the First and the Last.

For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.“ The Lord did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!Rather, it was simply that the Lord loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the Lord rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

The people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold as slaves.

you children of his servant Abraham, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.

They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises.Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say,“ Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too.This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.