Romans 11

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

¹I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.²³God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he pleads with God against Israel?⁴⁵Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life!⁶⁷But what was God’s answer to him? I have left seven thousand for myself who have not bowed down to Baal.⁸⁹In the same way, then, there is also at the present time a remnant chosen by grace.¹⁰¹¹Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.¹²

¹³What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the elect did find it. The rest were hardened,¹⁴¹⁵as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear, to this day.¹⁶

¹⁷And David says, Let their table become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution to them.¹⁸

¹⁹Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and their backs be bent continually.²⁰

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

²¹I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.²²²³Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!²⁴

²⁵Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Insofar as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,²⁶²⁷if I might somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them.²⁸²⁹For if their rejection brings reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?³⁰³¹Now if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.³²

³³Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree,³⁴³⁵do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast — you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.³⁶³⁷Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”³⁸³⁹True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware,⁴⁰⁴¹because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.⁴²⁴³Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you — if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.⁴⁴⁴⁵And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again.⁴⁶⁴⁷For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these — the natural branches — be grafted into their own olive tree?⁴⁸

⁴⁹I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.⁵⁰⁵¹And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.⁵²

⁵³And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.⁵⁴

⁵⁵Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs,⁵⁶⁵⁷since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.⁵⁸⁵⁹As you once disobeyed God but now have received mercy through their disobedience,⁶⁰⁶¹so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now receive mercy.⁶²⁶³For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may have mercy on all.⁶⁴

A Hymn of Praise

⁶⁵Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!⁶⁶

⁶⁷For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?⁶⁸

⁶⁹And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?⁷⁰

⁷¹For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.⁷²