1 I ask then: Has God totally rejected and disowned His people? Of course not! Why, I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin!

I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 N o, God has not rejected and disowned His people He had marked out and appointed and foreknown from the beginning. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel:

3 L ord, they have killed Your prophets; they have demolished Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.

Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.

4 B ut what is God’s reply to him? I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal!

But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.

5 S o too at the present time there is a remnant (a small believing minority), selected (chosen) by grace (by God’s unmerited favor and graciousness).

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 B ut if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything men have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.

7 W hat then ? Israel failed to obtain what it sought. Only the elect (those chosen few) obtained it, while the rest of them became callously indifferent (blinded, hardened, and made insensible to it).

What then? that which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened:

8 A s it is written, God gave them a spirit (an attitude) of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day.

according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day.

9 A nd David says, Let their table (their feasting, banqueting) become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a just retribution '> rebounding like a boomerang upon them];

And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:

10 L et their eyes be darkened (dimmed) so that they cannot see, and make them bend their back forever.

Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, And bow thou down their back always.

11 S o I ask, Have they stumbled so as to fall ? By no means! But through their false step and transgression salvation to the Gentiles, so as to arouse Israel and so to make them jealous.

I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

12 N ow if their stumbling (their lapse, their transgression) has so enriched the world, and if failure means such riches for the Gentiles, think what an enrichment and greater advantage will follow their full reinstatement!

Now if their fall, is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?

13 B ut now I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I lay great stress on my ministry and magnify my office,

But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry;

14 I n the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous, and thus managing to save some of them.

if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them.

15 F or if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? life from the dead!

For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

16 N ow if the first handful of dough offered as the firstfruits is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass; and if the root is consecrated (holy), so are the branches.

And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

17 B ut if some of the branches were broken off, while you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them to share the richness of the olive tree,

But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree;

18 D o not boast over the branches and pride yourself at their expense. If you do boast and feel superior, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root you.

glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee.

19 Y ou will say then, Branches were broken (pruned) off so that I might be grafted in!

Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

20 T hat is true. But they were broken (pruned) off because of their unbelief (their lack of real faith), and you are established through faith. So do not become proud and conceited, but rather stand in awe and be reverently afraid.

Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

21 F or if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.

for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee.

22 T hen note and appreciate the gracious kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s gracious kindness to you—provided you continue in His grace and abide in His kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (pruned away).

Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

23 A nd even those others, if they do not persist in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.

And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

24 F or if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and against nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier will it be to graft these natural back on their own olive tree.

For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 L est you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has befallen a part of Israel until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,

For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;

26 A nd so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will banish ungodliness from Jacob.

and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 A nd this will be My covenant (My agreement) with them when I shall take away their sins.

And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins.

28 F rom the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they are enemies, which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God’s choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.

As touching the gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake.

29 F or God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.

For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of.

30 J ust as you were once disobedient and rebellious toward God but now have obtained mercy, through their disobedience,

For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,

31 S o they also now are being disobedient, that they in turn may one day, through the mercy you are enjoying, also receive mercy.

even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.

32 F or God has consigned (penned up) all men to disobedience, only that He may have mercy on them all.

For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

33 O h, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!

34 F or who has known the mind of the Lord and who has understood His thoughts, or who has been His counselor?

For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

35 O r who has first given God anything that he might be paid back or that he could claim a recompense?

or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

36 F or from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever! Amen (so be it).

For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.