Romans 11

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.

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:

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?

⁴ And what was the prophetic answer given? I have spared for myself seven thousand men that havenot bent the knee to Baal.

⁵ In the same way, then, in our own time, there is a remnant, set aside by grace.

⁶ And since it is by grace, it cannot now be by good actions, or grace would not be grace at al !

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;

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.

⁹ David too says: May their own table prove a trap for them, a pitfal and a snare; let that be theirretribution.

¹⁰ May their eyes grow so dim they cannot see, and their backs be bent 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.

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!

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;

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.

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!

¹⁶ When the first-fruits are made holy, so is the whole batch; and if the root is holy, so are thebranches.

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;

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.

¹⁹ You wil say, 'Branches were broken off on purpose for me to be grafted in.' True;

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:

²¹ if God did not spare the natural branches, he might not spare you either.

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.

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.

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.

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;

²⁶ and this is how all Israel will be saved. As scripture says: From Zion will come the Redeemer, he wilremove godlessness from Jacob.

²⁷ And this wil be my covenant with them, when I take their sins away.

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.

²⁹ There is no change of mind on God's part about the gifts he has made or of his choice.

³⁰ Just as you were in the past disobedient to God but now you have been shown mercy, through theirdisobedience;

³¹ so in the same way they are disobedient now, so that through the mercy shown to you they too wilreceive mercy.

³² God has imprisoned al human beings in their own disobedience only to show mercy to them al .

³³ How rich and deep are the wisdom and the knowledge of God! We cannot reach to the root of hisdecisions or his ways.

³⁴ Who has ever known the mind of the Lord? Who has ever been his adviser?

³⁵ Who has given anything to him, so that his presents come only as a debt returned?

³⁶ Everything there is comes from him and is caused by him and exists for him. To him be glory forever! Amen.