A Remnant of Israel
1I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
7What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
9And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
10Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.
The Ingrafting of the Gentiles
11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.
17And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
All Israel Shall Be Saved
25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Doxology
(Romans 16:25-27; Jude 1:24-25)
33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? 35Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
A Remnant Chosen by Grace
1 I ask then, did God reject his people? May it never be! For I also am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God didn’t reject his people, which he foreknew. Or don’t you know what the Scripture says about Elijah? How he pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have broken down your altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.” 4 But how does God answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And 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.
7 What then? That which Israel seeks for, that he didn’t obtain, but the chosen ones obtained it, and the rest were hardened.
8 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, to this very day.”
9 David says, “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see. Bow down their back always.”
The Ingrafting of the Gentiles
11 I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? 13 For I speak to you who are Gentiles. Since then as I am an apostle to Gentiles, I glorify my ministry; 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh, and may save some of them. 15 For if the rejection of them is the reconciling of the world, what would their acceptance be, but life from the dead? 16 If the first fruit is holy, so is the lump. If the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them, and became partaker with them of the root and of the richness of the olive tree; 18 don’t boast over the branches. But if you boast, it is not you who support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.” 20 True; by their unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by your faith. Don’t be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God didn’t spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 See then the goodness and severity of God. Toward those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 They also, if they don’t continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more will these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 For I don’t desire you to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery, so that you won’t be wise in your own conceits, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in,
26 and so all Israel will be saved. Even as it is written, “There will come out of Zion the Deliverer, and he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
27 This is my covenant to them, when I will take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they may also obtain mercy. 32 For God has shut up all to disobedience, that he might have mercy on all.
A Hymn of Praise
(Isaiah 40:9–31)
33 Oh 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 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has first given to him, and it will be repaid to him again?” 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.
A Remnant Chosen by Grace
1 I ask then, did God reject His people? Certainly not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well” a?
4 And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” b
5 In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. c
7 What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see,
and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.” d
9 And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.” e
The Ingrafting of the Gentiles
11 I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? f Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous. 12 But if their trespass means riches for the world, and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!
13 I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 That is correct: They were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will certainly not g spare you either.
22 Take notice, therefore, of the kindness and severity of God: severity to those who fell, but kindness to you, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Zion;
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
27 And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.” h
28 Regarding the gospel, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. 29 For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
30 Just as you who formerly disobeyed God have now received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. i 32 For God has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
A Hymn of Praise
(Isaiah 40:9–31)
33 O, the depth of the riches
of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments,
and untraceable His ways!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?” j
35 “Who has first given to God,
that God should repay him?” k
36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Footnotes:
3 a 1 Kings 19:10, 14
4 b 1 Kings 19:18
6 c BYZ and TR include But if it is by works, then it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
8 d See Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10.
10 e Psalm 69:22–23 (see also LXX)
11 f Or did they stumble so as to lose their share? Literally did they stumble that they might fall?
21 g Or He will perhaps not ; SBL, NE, and WH He will not
27 h Isaiah 27:9 and Isaiah 59:20–21; see also LXX
31 i Literally may now receive mercy through your mercy ; BYZ and TR may receive mercy through your mercy
34 j Isaiah 40:13 (see also LXX)
35 k Job 41:11
A Remnant of Israel
1I 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: 2God 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'Lord, Thy prophets they did kill, and Thy altars they dug down, and I was left alone, and they seek my life;' 4but what saith the divine answer to him? 'I left to Myself seven thousand men, who did not bow a knee to Baal.' 5So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been; 6and 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.
7What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,
8according 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,
9and David saith, 'Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a recompense to them;
10let their eyes be darkened -- not to behold, and their back do Thou always bow down.'
The Ingrafting of the Gentiles
11I say, then, Did they stumble that they might fall? let it not be! but by their fall the salvation is to the nations, to arouse them to jealousy; 12and if the fall of them is the riches of a world, and the diminution of them the riches of nations, how much more the fulness of them? 13For to you I speak -- to the nations -- inasmuch as I am indeed an apostle of nations, my ministration I do glorify; 14if by any means I shall arouse to jealousy mine own flesh, and shall save some of them, 15for if the casting away of them is a reconciliation of the world, what the reception -- if not life out of the dead? 16and if the first-fruit is holy, the lump also; and if the root is holy, the branches also.
17And 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 -- 18do not boast against the branches; and if thou dost boast, thou dost not bear the root, but the root thee! 19Thou wilt say, then, 'The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in;' right! 20by unbelief they were broken off, and thou hast stood by faith; be not high-minded, but be fearing; 21for if God the natural branches did not spare -- lest perhaps He also shall not spare thee. 22Lo, 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. 23And those also, if they may not remain in unbelief, shall be graffed in, for God is able again to graff them in; 24for 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 are according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?
All Israel Shall Be Saved
25For 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;
26and 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,
27and this to them is the covenant from Me, when I may take away their sins.'
28As regards, indeed, the good tidings, they are enemies on your account; and as regards the choice -- beloved on account of the fathers; 29for unrepented of are the gifts and the calling of God; 30for as ye also once did not believe in God, and now did find kindness by the unbelief of these: 31so also these now did not believe, that in your kindness they also may find kindness; 32for God did shut up together the whole to unbelief, that to the whole He might do kindness.
Doxology
(Romans 16:25-27; Jude 1:24-25)
33O depth of riches, and wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways! 34for who did know the mind of the Lord? or who did become His counsellor? 35or who did first give to Him, and it shall be given back to him again? 36because of Him, and through Him, and to Him are the all things; to Him is the glory -- to the ages. Amen.
Romans 11: God’s Faithfulness to Israel
¹ I ask then: Did God reject his people? Absolutely not! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. ² God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel?
³ “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me!”
⁴ And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
⁵ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. ⁶ And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
Israel’s Stumbling
⁷ What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, ⁸ as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
⁹ And David says, “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. ¹⁰ May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.”
The Inclusion of the Gentiles
¹¹ Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. ¹² But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them.
¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
The Analogy of the Olive Tree
¹⁶ If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble!
²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
God’s Kindness and Severity
²² Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³ And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
²⁴ After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree!
All Israel Will Be Saved
²⁵ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, ²⁶ and 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. ²⁷ And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Praise to God
²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, ²⁹ for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
³⁰ Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹ so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.
³² For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” ³⁵ “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” ³⁶ For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Footnotes
11:1: Paul emphasizes God’s enduring commitment to His people, showing that His promises remain intact.
11:6: The distinction between grace and works highlights the essence of faith in Christ over legalistic righteousness.
11:11: Salvation for the Gentiles illustrates God’s expansive plan for humanity, inviting all to faith.
11:16: The analogy of the olive tree represents God’s covenant community and the inclusion of Gentiles.
11:22: This duality of kindness and severity urges humility and reverence among believers.
11:25: Paul reveals a mystery of faith, pointing toward a future fulfillment for Israel.
11:36: The doxology culminates the chapter with praise for God’s wisdom and sovereignty over all creation.
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