6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham ^obecause they are his offspring, but ^p“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but ^qthe children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: ^r“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but ^salso when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of ^thim who calls— 12 she was told, ^u“The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, ^v“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? ^wIs there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, ^x“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,¹ but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ^y“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For ^zwho can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, ^ato answer back to God? ^bWill what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 ^cHas the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump ^done vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience ^evessels of wrath ^fprepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known ^gthe riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he ^hhas prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he ⁱhas called, ^jnot from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,

27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ⁿ“Though the number of the sons of Israel² be as the sand of the sea, ^oonly a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,

The Potter and the Clay

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to ^qthe potter’s house, and there I will let you hear¹ my words.” 3 So I went down to ^rthe potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was ^sspoiled in the potter’s hand, and ^the reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 “O house of Israel, ^ucan I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. ^vBehold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will ^wpluck up and break down and destroy it, 8 and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, ^xturns from its evil, ^yI will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. 9 And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will ^wbuild and plant it, 10 and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 11 Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. ^zReturn, every one from his evil way, and ^aamend your ways and your deeds.’

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

1 After this the Lord appointed ^xseventy-two¹ others and ^ysent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 ^zAnd he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ^aTherefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

The Return of the Seventy-Two

17 ^uThe seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, ^veven the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, ^w“I saw Satan ^xfall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority ^yto tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of ^zthe enemy, and ^anothing shall hurt you. 20 ^bNevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that ^cyour names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will

21 ^dIn that same hour ^ehe rejoiced ^fin the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, ^gLord of heaven and earth, that ^hyou have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and ⁱrevealed them to little children; yes, Father, for ^jsuch was your gracious will.¹ 22 ^kAll things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is ^kexcept the Father, or who the Father is ^kexcept the Son and anyone ^lto whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ^m“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you ⁿthat many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”