| 1 What I am saying is this: is it possible that God abandoned his people? Out of the question! I too aman Israelite, descended from Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. | 1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. |
| 2 God never abandoned his own people to whom, ages ago, he had given recognition. Do you notremember what scripture says about Elijah and how he made a complaint to God against Israel: | 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? |
| 3 Lord, they have put your prophets to the sword, torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kil me? | 3 "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have demolished thy altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." |
| 4 And what was the prophetic answer given? I have spared for myself seven thousand men that havenot bent the knee to Baal. | 4 But what is God's reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." |
| 5 In the same way, then, in our own time, there is a remnant, set aside by grace. | 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. |
| 6 And since it is by grace, it cannot now be by good actions, or grace would not be grace at al ! | 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. |
| 7 What fol ows? Israel failed to find what it was seeking; only those who were chosen found it and therest had their minds hardened; | 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, |
| 8 just as it says in scripture: God has infused them with a spirit of lethargy; until today they have noteyes to see or ears to hear. | 8 as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day." |
| 9 David too says: May their own table prove a trap for them, a pitfal and a snare; let that be theirretribution. | 9 And David says, "Let their table become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution for them; |
| 10 May their eyes grow so dim they cannot see, and their backs be bent for ever. | 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs for ever." |
| 11 What I am saying is this: Was this stumbling to lead to their final downfall? Out of the question! Onthe contrary, their failure has brought salvation for the gentiles, in order to stir them to envy. | 11 So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. |
| 12 And if their fal has proved a great gain to the world, and their loss has proved a great gain to thegentiles -- how much greater a gain wil come when all is restored to them! | 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! |
| 13 Let me say then to you gentiles that, as far as I am an apostle to the gentiles, I take pride in thiswork of service; | 13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry |
| 14 and I want it to be the means of rousing to envy the people who are my own blood-relations and soof saving some of them. | 14 in order to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. |
| 15 Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their re-acceptance willmean? Nothing less than life from the dead! | 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? |
| 16 When the first-fruits are made holy, so is the whole batch; and if the root is holy, so are thebranches. | 16 If the dough offered as first fruits is holy, so is the whole lump; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. |
| 17 Now suppose that some branches were broken off, and you are wild olive, grafted among the rest toshare with the others the rich sap of the olive tree; | 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree, |
| 18 then it is not for you to consider yourself superior to the other branches; and if you start feelingproud, think: it is not you that sustain the root, but the root that sustains you. | 18 do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. |
| 19 You wil say, 'Branches were broken off on purpose for me to be grafted in.' True; | 19 You will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." |
| 20 they through their unbelief were broken off, and you are established through your faith. So it is notpride that you should have, but fear: | 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. |
| 21 if God did not spare the natural branches, he might not spare you either. | 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. |
| 22 Remember God's severity as well as his goodness: his severity to those who fel , and his goodnessto you as long as you persevere in it; if not, you too will be cut off. | 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. |
| 23 And they, if they do not persevere in their unbelief, wil be grafted in; for it is within the power of Godto graft them back again. | 23 And even the others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. |
| 24 After al , if you, cut off from what was by nature a wild olive, could then be grafted unnaturally on to acultivated olive, how much easier wil it be for them, the branches that natural y belong there, to be grafted on tothe olive tree which is their own. | 24 For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. |
| 25 I want you to be quite certain, brothers, of this mystery, to save you from congratulating yourselveson your own good sense: part of Israel had its mind hardened, but only until the gentiles have whol y come in; | 25 Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, |
| 26 and this is how all Israel will be saved. As scripture says: From Zion will come the Redeemer, he wilremove godlessness from Jacob. | 26 and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; |
| 27 And this wil be my covenant with them, when I take their sins away. | 27 "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." |
| 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies, but for your sake; but as regards those who are God'schoice, they are stil wel loved for the sake of their ancestors. | 28 As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. |
| 29 There is no change of mind on God's part about the gifts he has made or of his choice. | 29 For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. |
| 30 Just as you were in the past disobedient to God but now you have been shown mercy, through theirdisobedience; | 30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, |
| 31 so in the same way they are disobedient now, so that through the mercy shown to you they too wilreceive mercy. | 31 so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy. |
| 32 God has imprisoned al human beings in their own disobedience only to show mercy to them al . | 32 For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all. |
| 33 How rich and deep are the wisdom and the knowledge of God! We cannot reach to the root of hisdecisions or his ways. | 33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! |
| 34 Who has ever known the mind of the Lord? Who has ever been his adviser? | 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" |
| 35 Who has given anything to him, so that his presents come only as a debt returned? | 35 "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" |
| 36 Everything there is comes from him and is caused by him and exists for him. To him be glory forever! Amen. | 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen. |