1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

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!

2 G od has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,

No, 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?

3 “ L ord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life” ?

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

4 B ut what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

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

5 E ven so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

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

6 A nd if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

But 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.

7 W hat then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

What 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).

8 J ust as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”

As 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.

9 A nd David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

And 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];

10 L et their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always.” Israel’s Rejection Not Final

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

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.

So 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.

12 N ow if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

Now 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!

13 F or I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

But 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,

14 i f by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.

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

15 F or if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

For 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!

16 F or if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Now 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.

17 A nd if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,

But 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,

18 d o not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Do 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.

19 Y ou will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”

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

20 W ell said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.

That 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.

21 F or if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.

22 T herefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.

Then 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).

23 A nd they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

And 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.

24 F or if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

For 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.

25 F or I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Lest 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,

26 A nd so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

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

27 F or this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

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

28 C oncerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

From 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.

29 F or the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.

30 F or as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,

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

31 e ven so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.

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

32 F or God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

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

33 O h, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Oh, 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)!

34 “ For who has known the mind of the Lord ? Or who has become His counselor?”

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

35 “ Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”

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

36 F or of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

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