Romanos 11
1 dico ergo numquid reppulit Deus populum suum absit nam et ego Israhelita sum ex semine Abraham tribu Beniamin
I ask, then, “Has God rejected his people?” Heaven forbid! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 non reppulit Deus plebem suam quam praesciit an nescitis in Helia quid dicit scriptura quemadmodum interpellat Deum adversus Israhel
God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the first. Have you forgotten the words of scripture in the story of Elijah – how he appeals to God against Israel?
3 Domine prophetas tuos occiderunt altaria tua suffoderunt et ego relictus sum solus et quaerunt animam meam
“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have pulled down your altars, and I only am left; and now they are eager to take my life.”
4 sed quid dicit illi responsum divinum reliqui mihi septem milia virorum qui non curvaverunt genu Baal
But what was the divine response? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who have never bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 sic ergo et in hoc tempore reliquiae secundum electionem gratiae factae sunt
And so in our own time, too, there is to be found a remnant of our nation selected by God in love.
6 si autem gratia non ex operibus alioquin gratia iam non est gratia
But if in love, then it is not as a result of obedience. Otherwise love would cease to be love.
7 quid ergo quod quaerebat Israhel hoc non est consecutus electio autem consecuta est ceteri vero excaecati sunt
What follows from this? Why, that Israel as a nation failed to secure what it was seeking, while those whom God selected did secure it.
8 sicut scriptum est dedit illis Deus spiritum conpunctionis oculos ut non videant et aures ut non audiant usque in hodiernum diem
The rest grew callous; as scripture says – “God has given them a deadness of mind – eyes that are not to see and ears that are not to hear – and it is so to this very day.”
9 et David dicit fiat mensa eorum in laqueum et in captionem et in scandalum et in retributionem illis
David, too, says – “May their feasts prove a snare and a trap to them – a hindrance and a retribution;
10 obscurentur oculi eorum ne videant et dorsum illorum semper incurva
may their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; and do you always make their backs to bend.”
11 dico ergo numquid sic offenderunt ut caderent absit sed illorum delicto salus gentibus ut illos aemulentur
I ask then – “Was their stumbling to result in their fall?” Heaven forbid! On the contrary, through their falling away salvation has reached the Gentiles, to stir the rivalry of Israel.
12 quod si delictum illorum divitiae sunt mundi et deminutio eorum divitiae gentium quanto magis plenitudo eorum
And, if their falling away has enriched the world, and their failure has enriched the Gentiles, how much more will result from their full restoration!
13 vobis enim dico gentibus quamdiu quidem ego sum gentium apostolus ministerium meum honorificabo
But I am speaking to you who were Gentiles.
14 si quo modo ad aemulandum provocem carnem meam et salvos faciam aliquos ex illis
Being myself an apostle to the Gentiles, I exalt my office, in the hope that I may stir my countrymen to rivalry, and so save some of them.
15 si enim amissio eorum reconciliatio est mundi quae adsumptio nisi vita ex mortuis
For, if their being cast aside has meant the reconciliation of the world, what will their reception mean, but life from the dead?
16 quod si delibatio sancta est et massa et si radix sancta et rami
If the first handful of dough is holy, so is the whole mass, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 quod si aliqui ex ramis fracti sunt tu autem cum oleaster esses insertus es in illis et socius radicis et pinguidinis olivae factus es
Some, however, of the branches were broken off, and you, who were only a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and came to share with them the root which is the source of the richness of the cultivated olive.
18 noli gloriari adversus ramos quod si gloriaris non tu radicem portas sed radix te
Yet do not exult over the other branches. But, if you do exult over them, remember that you do not support the root, but that the root supports you.
19 dices ergo fracti sunt rami ut ego inserar
But branches, you will say, were broken off, so that I might be grafted in.
20 bene propter incredulitatem fracti sunt tu autem fide stas noli altum sapere sed time
True, it was because of their want of faith that they were broken off, and it is because of your faith that you are standing. Do not think too highly of yourself, but beware.
21 si enim Deus naturalibus ramis non pepercit ne forte nec tibi parcat
For, if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
22 vide ergo bonitatem et severitatem Dei in eos quidem qui ceciderunt severitatem in te autem bonitatem Dei si permanseris in bonitate alioquin et tu excideris
See, then, both the goodness and the severity of God – his severity towards those who fell, and his goodness towards you, provided that you continue to confide in that goodness; otherwise you, also, will be cut off.
23 sed et illi si non permanserint in incredulitate inserentur potens est enim Deus iterum inserere illos
And they, too, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God has it in his power to graft them in again.
24 nam si tu ex naturali excisus es oleastro et contra naturam insertus es in bonam olivam quanto magis hii secundum naturam inserentur suae olivae
If you were cut off from your natural stock – a wild olive – and were grafted, contrary to the course of nature, on a good olive, much more will they – the natural branches – be grafted back into their parent tree.
25 nolo enim vos ignorare fratres mysterium hoc ut non sitis vobis ipsis sapientes quia caecitas ex parte contigit in Israhel donec plenitudo gentium intraret
My friends, so that you don’t think too highly of yourselves, I want you to recognise the truth, hitherto hidden, that the callousness which has come over Israel is only partial, and will continue only until the whole Gentile world has been gathered in.
26 et sic omnis Israhel salvus fieret sicut scriptum est veniet ex Sion qui eripiat avertet impietates ab Iacob
And then all Israel will be saved. As scripture says – “From Zion will come the Deliverer; he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.
27 et hoc illis a me testamentum cum abstulero peccata eorum
And they will see the fulfilment of my covenant, when I have taken away their sins.”
28 secundum evangelium quidem inimici propter vos secundum electionem autem carissimi propter patres
From the standpoint of the good news, the Jews are God’s enemies for your sake; but from the standpoint of God’s selection, they are dear to him for the sake of the patriarchs.
29 sine paenitentia enim sunt dona et vocatio Dei
For God never regrets his gifts or his call.
30 sicut enim aliquando et vos non credidistis Deo nunc autem misericordiam consecuti estis propter illorum incredulitatem
Just as you at one time were disobedient to him, but have now found mercy in the day of their disobedience;
31 ita et isti nunc non crediderunt in vestram misericordiam ut et ipsi misericordiam consequantur
so, too, they have now become disobedient in your day of mercy, in order that they also in their turn may now find mercy.
For God has given all alike over to disobedience, that to all alike he may show mercy. (eleēsē g1653)
33 o altitudo divitiarum sapientiae et scientiae Dei quam inconprehensibilia sunt iudicia eius et investigabiles viae eius
Oh! The unfathomable wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments, how untraceable his ways! Yes –
34 quis enim cognovit sensum Domini aut quis consiliarius eius fuit
ho has ever comprehended the mind of the Lord? Who has ever become his counsellor?
35 aut quis prior dedit illi et retribuetur ei
Or who has first given to him, so that he may claim a reward?
