1 N a, ko taku kupu tenei, Kua peia oti e te Atua tana iwi? Kahore rapea. No Iharaira ano hoki ahau, no te uri o Aperahama, no to Pineamine iwi.

I ask then, “Has God put His people, the Jews, aside?” No, not at all! I myself am a Jew. Abraham was my early father. I am from the family group of Benjamin.

2 K ahore hoki te Atua i pei i tana iwi i mohio ai i mua. Kahore oti koutou i matau ki te korero a te karaipiture i ta Iraia? i inoi ra hoki ia ki te Atua, i whakahe i a Iharaira, i mea,

God has not put His people aside. He chose them from the beginning. Do you know what the Holy Writings say about Elijah? Do you know what Elijah said to God against the Jews?

3 E te Ariki, kua patua e ratou au poropiti, kua whakahoroa au aata; ko ahau anake hoki kua mahue nei, a e whai ana ratou kia patua ahau.

He said, “Lord, they have killed Your early preachers. They have destroyed the places where You are worshiped. I am the only one left. They are trying to kill me.”

4 H eoi e pehea ana te whakahoki a te Atua ki a ia? E whitu mano tangata kua waiho e ahau maku, kahore nei i piko te ture ki a Paara.

But what did God say to him? God said, “I still have 7, 000 men. None of them have worshiped the false god Baal.”

5 W aihoki i te wa nei ano, tera ano he toenga, he whiriwhiringa na te aroha noa.

It is the same now. A few of the Jews are being chosen because of God’s loving-favor.

6 K i te mea ia na te aroha noa, ehara i te mea na nga mahi: penei ehara te aroha noa i te aroha noa.

If they are saved from the punishment of sin because of God’s loving-favor, it is nothing men have done to earn it. If men had earned it, then His loving-favor would not be a free gift.

7 H a, he pehea ra? Ko ta Iharaira e rapu nei, kihai tenei i taea e ia; otira kua taea e te hunga whiriwhiri, ko era atu ia i whakapakeketia:

This is the way it was. Many Jews did not get what they were looking for. Only those God chose received it. The hearts of the others were made hard. They could not understand it.

8 K o te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia, Kua hoatu ki a ratou e te Atua he wairua hiamoe, he kanohi e kore ai ratou e kite, he taringa e kore ai e rongo; a taea noatia tenei ra.

The Holy Writings say this about them, “God gave them hearts and minds that want to sleep. He gave them eyes that could not see. To this very day He gave them ears that could not hear.”

9 E mea ana hoki a Rawiri, Kia whakatupu mahanga to ratou tepu, hei rore hoki, hei tutukitanga waewae, hei utu ano ki a ratou:

David said, “Let their table of food become a trap to hold them. Let it be a hole into which they fall and will suffer.

10 K ia whakapouritia o ratou kanohi, kia kaua ratou e kite, a kia whakapikoa tonutia iho e koe to ratou tuara.

Let their eyes be closed so they cannot see. Keep their backs from being straight always because of their troubles.”

11 N a, ko taku kupu tenei, He tutuki ranei to ratou e hinga rawa ai? Kahore rapea: engari na to ratou hinga i puta ai te ora ki nga tauiwi, he mea kia hae ai ratou.

I ask then, “Did the Jews fall so they would be lost forever?” No, not at all! It means the people who are not Jews are able to be saved from the punishment of sin because the Jews sinned by not putting their trust in Christ. This made the Jews jealous of those who are not Jews.

12 N a, ki te mea hei taonga mo te ao to ratou hinganga, hei taonga ano mo nga Tauiwi to ratou whakaitinga: tera noa ake i to ratou whakanuinga?

The world received good things from God because of the sin of the Jews. Because the Jews did not receive God’s free gift, the people who are not Jews received good things from Him. Think how much more the world will receive when the Jews finish God’s plan by putting their trust in Christ!

13 K i a koutou, ki nga Tauiwi tenei kupu aku, I te mea he apotoro ahau ki nga Tauiwi, e whakanui ana ahau i taku mahi minita:

I am speaking to you people who are not Jews. As long as I am a missionary to you, I want you to know how important my job is.

14 M e kore e hae nga tangata o toku kikokiko, kia ora ai etahi o ratou i ahau.

I do this so it will make my own people, the Jews, jealous. Then it may be that some will be saved from the punishment of sin.

15 M ehemea hoki ko to ratou makanga atu hei houhanga rongo mo te ao, ka aha to ratou tangohanga mai? he teka ianei he oranga ake i roto i te hunga mate?

Because the Jews have been put aside, many other people in the world have been saved from the punishment of sin. Think what it will be like when they are also gathered in. It will be like the dead coming back to life!

16 K i te mea hoki he tapu te mea matamua, ka pera ano te puranga: ki te tapu hoki te pakiaka, e pera ano nga manga.

If the first loaf is holy, all the bread is holy. If the root is holy, all the branches are holy.

17 E ngari ki te mea kua whatiia atu etahi o nga manga, a ka honoa mai koe, te oriwa ngahere, ki roto i nga manga, ka whiwhi ngatahi ki te pakiaka o te momonatanga o te oriwa;

But some of the branches (who are the Jews) were broken off. You who are not Jews were put in the place where the branches had been broken off. Now you are sharing the rich root of the olive tree.

18 A ua e whakapehapeha ki nga manga. Ki te whakapehapeha ia koe, ehara i te mea nau i mau ake ai te pakiaka, engari na te pakiaka koe.

Do not be proud. Do not think you are better than the branches that were broken off. If you are proud, remember that you do not hold the root. It is the root that holds you.

19 N a, tera koe e mea, I whatiia atu nga manga, kia honoa iho ai ahau.

You may say, “Branches were broken off to make room for me.”

20 A e ra; na te whakaponokore ratou i whatiia atu ai, na tou whakapono koe i tu ai. Aua e whakakake, engari kia wehi.

It is true. They were broken off because they did not put their trust in Christ. And you are there only because of your faith. Do not be proud. Instead, be afraid.

21 N a, ki te mea kihai i tohungia nga manga tupu e te Atua, e kore ano ia e tohu i a koe.

God did not keep the first branches (who are the Jews) on the tree. Then watch, or He will not keep you on the tree.

22 N a, tirohia iho te ngawari me te pakeke o te Atua: pakeke ki te hunga i hinga; ngawari ki a koe, ki te u koe ki tana tikanga ngawari: ki te kahore, ka tapahia hoki koe.

We see how kind God is. It shows how hard He is also. He is hard on those who fall away. But He is kind to you if you keep on trusting Him. If you do not, He will cut you off.

23 M e ratou ano, ki te kore e u ki to ratou whakaponokore, ka honoa ano: e taea hoki ratou e te Atua te hono mai ano.

If the Jews would put their trust in Christ, God would put them back into the tree. He has power to do that.

24 M ehemea hoki ka tapahia mai koe i te oriwa ngahere, a ka honoa mai ki te oriwa pai, he mea rere ke i te tikanga; tera noa ake te honoa o enei, o nga manga tupu, ki to ratou oriwa ano.

You people who are not Jews were cut off from a wild olive tree. Instead of being there, you were put into a garden olive tree which is not the right place for you to grow. It would be easy for God to put the Jews back onto their own olive tree because they are the branches that belong there.

25 E kore hoki ahau e pai, e oku teina, kia kuware koutou ki tenei mea ngaro, kei mea noa koutou he matau koutou, kua tau tetahi wahi o te whakapakeketanga ki a Iharaira, kia riro mai ra ano te tokomahatanga o nga tauiwi.

Christian brothers, I want you to understand this truth which is no longer a secret. It will keep you from thinking you are so wise. Some Jews have become hard until the right amount of people who are not Jews come to God.

26 K o reira a Iharaira katoa ora ai: ko te mea hoki ia i tuhituhia, Tera e puta mai te Kaiwhakaora i Hiona, mana e kaupare te karakiakore i a Hakopa:

Then all the Jews will be saved, as the Holy Writings say, “The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come out of Jerusalem. He will turn the Jews from doing sinful things.”

27 K o taku kawenata hoki tenei ki a ratou, ina tangohia atu e ahau o ratou hara.

“And this is My promise to them when I take away their sins.”

28 N a i runga i te rongopai he hoariri ratou, he whakaaro ki a koutou; i runga ia i te whiriwhiringa, e arohaina ana ratou, he whakaaro ki nga matua.

The Jews are fighting against the Good News. Because they hate the Good News, it has helped you who are not Jews. But God still loves the Jews because He has chosen them and because of His promise to their early fathers.

29 I a te Atua homaitanga hoki, i tana karangatanga, kahore e puta ke te whakaaro.

God does not change His mind when He chooses men and gives them His gifts.

30 K a rite hoki ki a koutou kihai i whakapono i mua ki te Atua, inaianei ia kua tohungia, he mea na to ratou whakaponokore:

At one time you did not obey God. But when the Jews did not receive God’s gift, you did. It was because they did not obey.

31 W aihoki kua kahore enei i whakapono inaianei, kia tohungia ai ano ratou i runga i te mahi tohu i whiwhi nei koutou.

The Jews will not obey now. God’s loving-kindness to you will some day turn them to Him. Then the Jews may have His loving-kindness also.

32 K ua oti hoki te katoa te kopani e te Atua ki roto ki te whakateka, he mea kia tohungia ai e ia te katoa.

God has said that all men have broken His Law. But He will show loving-kindness on all of them.

33 A no te hohonu, te hua ngatahi hoki o te whakaaro o te Atua me tona mohio! e kore ana tikanga e taea te rapu, ona huarahi te whakataki!

God’s riches are so great! The things He knows and His wisdom are so deep! No one can understand His thoughts. No one can understand His ways.

34 K o wai hoki te mohio ana ki te hinengaro o te Ariki? ko wai hoki tona hoa whakatakoto whakaaro?

The Holy Writings say, “Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to tell Him what to do?”

35 K o ta wai hoki kua matua hoatu ki a ia, a ka whakahokia mai he utu ki a ia?

“Who has given first to God, that God should pay him back?”

36 K o nga mea katoa nei hoki, nana, a kei runga ano i a ia, a e ahu ana hoki ki a ia: mona te kororia ake tonu atu. Amine.

Everything comes from Him. His power keeps all things together. All things are made for Him. May He be honored forever. Let it be so.