Romans 11
1 I say then, did God cast away His people? Let it not be! For I am also an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin:
I ask then, Has God cast off His People? No, indeed. Why, I myself am an Israelite, of the posterity of Abraham and of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have you not known—in Elijah—what the Writing says? How he pleads with God concerning Israel, saying,
God has not cast off His People whom He knew beforehand. Or are you ignorant of what Scripture says in speaking of Elijah--how he pleaded with God against Israel, saying,
3 “LORD, they killed Your prophets, and they dug down Your altars, and I was left alone, and they seek my life”;
"Lord, they have put Thy Prophets to death, and have overthrown Thy altars; and, now that I alone remain, they are thirsting for my blood"?
4 but what does the divine answer say to him? “I left to Myself seven thousand men who did not bow a knee to Ba‘al.”
But what did God say to him in reply? "I have reserved for Myself 7,000 men who have never bent the knee to Baal."
5 So then also in the present time there has been a remnant according to the [divine] selection of grace;
In the same way also at the present time there has come to be a remnant whom God in His grace has selected.
6 and if by grace, no longer of works, otherwise grace becomes no longer grace; and if of works, it is no longer grace, otherwise work is no longer work.
But if it is in His grace that He has selected them, then His choice is no longer determined by human actions. Otherwise grace would be grace no longer.
7 What then? What Israel seeks after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen obtained, and the rest were hardened,
How then does the matter stand? It stands thus. That which Israel are in earnest pursuit of, they have not obtained; but God's chosen servants have obtained it, and the rest have become hardened.
8 according as it has been written: “God gave to them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear, to this very day,”
And so Scripture says, "God has given them a spirit of drowsiness--eyes to see nothing with and ears to hear nothing with--even until now."
9 and David says, “Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a repayment to them;
And David says, "Let their very food become a snare and a trap to them, a stumbling-block and a retribution.
10 let their eyes be darkened—not to behold, and You always bow down their back.”
Let darkness come over their eyes that they may be unable to see, and make Thou their backs continually to stoop."
11 I say then, did they stumble that they might fall? Let it not be! But by their fall the salvation [is] to the nations, to arouse them to jealousy;
I ask, however, "Have they stumbled so as to be finally ruined?" No, indeed; but by their lapse salvation has come to the Gentiles in order to arouse the jealousy of the descendants of Israel;
12 and if their fall [is] the riches of [the] world, and their diminishment the riches of nations, how much more their fullness?
and if their lapse is the enriching of the world, and their overthrow the enriching of the Gentiles, will not still greater good follow their restoration?
13 For to you I speak—to the nations—inasmuch as I am indeed an apostle of nations, I glorify my ministry;
But to you Gentiles I say that, since I am an Apostle specially sent to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry,
14 if I will arouse my own flesh to jealousy by any means, and will save some of them,
trying whether I can succeed in rousing my own countrymen to jealousy and thus save some of them.
15 for if the casting away of them [is] a reconciliation of the world, what the reception—if not life out of the dead?
For if their having been cast aside has carried with it the reconciliation of the world, what will their being accepted again be but Life out of death?
16 And if the first-fruit [is] holy, the lump also; and if the root [is] holy, the branches also.
Now if the firstfruits of the dough are holy, so also is the whole mass; and if the root of a tree is holy, so also are the branches.
17 And if certain of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a fellow-partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree—
And if some of the branches have been pruned away, and you, although you were but a wild olive, have been grafted in among them and have become a sharer with others in the rich sap of the root of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches; and if you boast, you do not bear the root, but the root you!
beware of glorying over the natural branches. Or if you are so glorying, do not forget that it is not you who uphold the root: the root upholds you.
19 You will say, then, “The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in”; right!
"Branches have been lopped off," you will say, "for the sake of my being grafted in."
20 By unbelief they were broken off, and you have stood by faith; do not be high-minded, but be fearing;
This is true; yet it was their unbelief that cut them off, and you only stand through your faith.
21 for if God did not spare the natural branches—lest perhaps He also will not spare you.
Do not be puffed up with pride. Tremble rather--for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.
22 Behold, then, goodness and severity of God—on those indeed who fell, severity; and on you, goodness, if you may remain in the goodness, otherwise, you also will be cut off.
Notice therefore God's kindness and God's severity. On those who have fallen His severity has descended, but upon you His kindness has come, provided that you do not cease to respond to that kindness. Otherwise you will be cut off also.
23 And those also, if they may not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again;
Moreover, if they turn from their unbelief, they too will be grafted in. For God is powerful enough to graft them in again;
24 for if you, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, were cut out, and contrary to nature, were grafted into a good olive tree, how much rather will they, who [are] according to nature, be grafted into their own olive tree?
and if you were cut from that which by nature is a wild olive and contrary to nature were grafted into the good olive tree, how much more certainly will these natural branches be grafted on their own olive tree?
25 For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, of this secret—that you may not be wise in your own conceits—that hardness in part to Israel has happened until the fullness of the nations may come in;
For there is a truth, brethren, not revealed hitherto, of which I do not wish to leave you in ignorance, for fear you should attribute superior wisdom to yourselves--the truth, I mean, that partial blindness has fallen upon Israel until the great mass of the Gentiles have come in;
26 and so all Israel will be saved, according as it has been written: “There will come forth out of Zion He who is delivering, and He will turn away impiety from Jacob,
and so all Israel will be saved. As is declared in Scripture, "From Mount Zion a Deliverer will come: He will remove all ungodliness from Jacob;
27 and this to them [is] the covenant from Me when I may take away their sins.”
and this shall be My Covenant with them; when I have taken away their sins."
28 As regards, indeed, the good tidings, [they are] enemies on your account; and as regards the [divine] selection—beloved on account of the fathers;
In relation to the Good News, the Jews are God's enemies for your sakes; but in relation to God's choice they are dearly loved for the sake of their forefathers.
29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable;
For God does not repent of His free gifts nor of His call;
30 for as you also once did not believe in God, and now found kindness by the unbelief of these,
but just as you were formerly disobedient to Him, but now have received mercy at a time when they are disobedient,
31 so also these now did not believe, that in your kindness they also may find kindness;
so now they also have been disobedient at a time when you are receiving mercy; so that to them too there may now be mercy.
32 for God shut up together the whole to unbelief, that to the whole He might do kindness. (eleēsē g1653)
For God has locked up all in the prison of unbelief, that upon all alike He may have mercy. (eleēsē g1653)
33 O depth of riches, and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
Oh, how inexhaustible are God's resources and God's wisdom and God's knowledge! How impossible it is to search into His decrees or trace His footsteps!
34 For who knew the mind of the LORD? Or who became His counselor?
"Who has ever known the mind of the Lord, or shared His counsels?"
35 Or who first gave to Him, and it will be given back to him again?
"Who has first given God anything, so as to receive payment in return?"
