1 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.

I say, then, Did God cast away His people? let it not be! for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin:

2 G od 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?

God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have ye not known -- in Elijah -- what the Writing saith? how he doth plead with God concerning Israel, saying,

3 H e 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.”

`Lord, Thy prophets they did kill, and Thy altars they dug down, and I was left alone, and they seek my life;'

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

but what saith the divine answer to him? `I left to Myself seven thousand men, who did not bow a knee to Baal.'

5 I t is the same now. A few of the Jews are being chosen because of God’s loving-favor.

So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been;

6 I f 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.

and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.

7 T his 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.

What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,

8 T he 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.”

according as it hath been written, `God gave to them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear,' -- unto this very day,

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

and David saith, `Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a recompense to them;

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

let their eyes be darkened -- not to behold, and their back do Thou always bow down.'

11 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.

I say, then, Did they stumble that they might fall? let it not be! but by their fall the salvation to the nations, to arouse them to jealousy;

12 T he 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!

and if the fall of them the riches of a world, and the diminution of them the riches of nations, how much more the fulness of them?

13 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.

For to you I speak -- to the nations -- inasmuch as I am indeed an apostle of nations, my ministration I do glorify;

14 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.

if by any means I shall arouse to jealousy mine own flesh, and shall save some of them,

15 B ecause 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!

for if the casting away of them a reconciliation of the world, what the reception -- if not life out of the dead?

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

and if the first-fruit holy, the lump also; and if the root holy, the branches also.

17 B ut 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.

And if certain of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wast graffed in among them, and a fellow-partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree didst become --

18 D o 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.

do not boast against the branches; and if thou dost boast, thou dost not bear the root, but the root thee!

19 Y ou may say, “Branches were broken off to make room for me.”

Thou wilt say, then, `The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in;' right!

20 I t 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.

by unbelief they were broken off, and thou hast stood by faith; be not high-minded, but be fearing;

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

for if God the natural branches did not spare -- lest perhaps He also shall not spare thee.

22 W e 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.

Lo, then, goodness and severity of God -- upon those indeed who fell, severity; and upon thee, goodness, if thou mayest remain in the goodness, otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off.

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

And those also, if they may not remain in unbelief, shall be graffed in, for God is able again to graff them in;

24 Y ou 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.

for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?

25 C hristian 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.

For I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of this secret -- that ye may not be wise in your own conceits -- that hardness in part to Israel hath happened till the fulness of the nations may come in;

26 T hen 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.”

and so all Israel shall be saved, according as it hath been written, `There shall come forth out of Sion he who is delivering, and he shall turn away impiety from Jacob,

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

and this to them the covenant from Me, when I may take away their sins.'

28 T he 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.

As regards, indeed, the good tidings, enemies on your account; and as regards the choice -- beloved on account of the fathers;

29 G od does not change His mind when He chooses men and gives them His gifts.

for unrepented of the gifts and the calling of God;

30 A t 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.

for as ye also once did not believe in God, and now did find kindness by the unbelief of these:

31 T he 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.

so also these now did not believe, that in your kindness they also may find kindness;

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

for God did shut up together the whole to unbelief, that to the whole He might do kindness.

33 G od’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.

O depth of riches, and wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

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

for who did know the mind of the Lord? or who did become His counsellor?

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

or who did first give to Him, and it shall be given back to him again?

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

because of Him, and through Him, and to Him the all things; to Him the glory -- to the ages. Amen.