1 My fellow believers, what I deeply desire and what I pray to God earnestly for is that he will save my own people, the Jews. 2 I declare truthfully about them that although they ◄zealously seek/very much want to know► God, they do not understand how to seek/know him correctly. 3 They did not ◄submit themselves to/accept► the way that God erases the record of people's sins. They did not want to recognize that way because they wanted him to do it their own way. 4 They wanted God to erase the record of their sins as a result of their obeying his laws. But because of what Christ has done, it is no longer necessary for people to obey the laws God gave Moses in order for the record of their sins to be erased. Now God will erase the record of sins of everyone who trusts in what Christ has done.

5 In regard to the old way, Moses wrote concerning people who obey God's laws, “It is the people who have done perfectly the things that the laws require who will gain eternal life by doing them.” 6 But those whose record of sins God has erased as a result of their believing in Christ can say to anyone [PRS] as Moses said, “You should not critically say inwardly, ‘◄Someone will have to go up and enter heaven!/Who will go up and enter heaven?►’ [RHQ]” That is to say, someone will have to go up and bring Christ down to bring the message of salvation to us! 7 “Or you should not say inwardly, ‘◄Someone will have to go down and enter the place where the spirits of dead persons are!/Who will go down and enter the place where the spirits of dead persons are?►’ [RHQ]” That is to say, someone will have to go down and bring Christ up from there to bring the message of salvation to us. You should not say that because Christ has already come down to save us, and has already risen from the dead! 8 But instead, those who believe in Christ [PRS] can say what [RHQ] Moses also said, “You (sg) can find out about God's message very easily. You can speak [MTY] about it; you can think [MTY] about it.” This is the message that we proclaim, that people must believe in Christ. 9  This message is that if anyone of you confesses/says publicly that Jesus is Lord, and if you (sg) believe inwardly that God raised him ◄from the dead/after he died►, you will be saved { God will save you}. 10 If people believe inwardly that Christ died and that God caused him to become alive again [CHI], the result is that God will erase the record of their sins. And for those who state/declare publicly that Jesus is their Lord, the result is that God will save them. 11  It is written { Isaiah wrote} in the Scriptures [PRS] about the Messiah, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.” 12  God treats the Jews and the non-Jews similarly. Because he is the same Lord for all people who believe in him, he abundantly blesses all who ask him to help/save them. 13 This is just like what the prophet Joel wrote: “All those who ask the Lord God to save them will be saved {The Lord God will save all those who ask him to save them}.”

14  In regard to the people of Israel rejecting the gospel, some people might object by saying, (OR, This raises another problem about the Jews:) “◄They certainly cannot ask Christ to help/save them if they have not first believed in him!/How can they ask Christ to help/save them if they have not first believed in him?► [RHQ] And ◄they certainly cannot believe in him if they have not heard about him!/how can they believe in him if they have not heard about him?► [RHQ] And ◄they certainly cannot hear about him if someone does not preach to them about him!/how can they hear about him if someone does not preach to them about him?► [RHQ] 15 And those who preach to them about Christ, ◄certainly cannot preach if they are not sent by God {if God does not send them} to preach!/how can they preach if they are not sent by God {if God does not send them} to preach?► [RHQ] His sending messengers to them would be just like it is written {like someone wrote} in the Scriptures, ‘The arrival [MTY] of those who preach the good message is wonderful!’ ” 16  I would reply in this way to people who say such things: God has indeed sent people to preach the message about Christ. But not all the people of Israel have paid attention to the good message! It is like what Isaiah said when he felt very discouraged, “Lord, ◄it seems as if hardly anyone believed what they heard us (exc) preach!/has anyone believed what they heard us (exc) preach?► [RHQ]” 17 So then, I tell you that people are believing in Christ as a result of hearing the message about him, and people are hearing the message as a result of people preaching about Christ!

18 But if someone were to ask, “Have not the people of Israel heard the message about God?” I would reply that they certainly have heard! It is like what is written in the Psalms,

19 But someone might ask, “ Is it true that the people of [MTY] Israel understood the message about Christ?” I would reply that certainly they understood it, but they rejected it! Remember that Moses was the first one who warned the people of Israel about disobeying God. He told them that God said,

I will surely reveal what I am like to those who did not ask for me!

21 But concerning the people of Israel, Isaiah tells us that God said: