Romans 11–12

Chapter 11

Israel Is Not Cast Away

¹I say then, God has not ^arejected His people, has He? ^bMay it never be! For ^cI too am an Israelite, ¹a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

²God ^ahas not rejected His people whom He ^bforeknew. ^cOr do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

³“Lord, ^athey have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”

⁴But what ¹is the divine response to him? “^aI have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

⁵In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time ^aa remnant according to God’s ¹gracious choice.

⁶But ^aif it is by grace, it is no longer ¹on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

⁷What then? What ^aIsrael is seeking, it has not obtained, but ¹those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were ^bhardened;

⁸just as it is written,

“^aGod gave them a spirit of stupor,

Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,

Down to this very day.”

⁹And David says,

“^aLet their table become a snare and a trap,

And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.

¹⁰“^aLet their eyes be darkened to see not,

And bend their backs forever.”

^11aI say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? ^bMay it never be! But by their transgression ^csalvation has come to the Gentiles, to ^dmake them jealous.

¹²Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their ^1afulfillment be!

¹³But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^aI am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,

¹⁴if somehow I might ^amove to jealousy ^bmy ¹fellow countrymen and ^csave some of them.

¹⁵For if their rejection is the ^areconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but ^blife from the dead?

¹⁶If the ^afirst piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.

¹⁷But if some of the ^abranches were broken off, and ^byou, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the ¹rich root of the olive tree,

¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that ^ait is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

^19aYou will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

²⁰Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you ^astand by your faith. ^bDo not be conceited, but fear;

²¹for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.

²²Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s ^akindness, ^bif you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also ^cwill be cut off.

²³And they also, ^aif they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

²⁴For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵For ^aI do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this ^bmystery—so that you will not be ^cwise in your own estimation—that a partial ^dhardening has happened to Israel until the ^efullness of the Gentiles has come in;

²⁶and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“^aThe Deliverer will come from Zion,

He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

²⁷“^aThis is ¹My covenant with them,

^bWhen I take away their sins.”

²⁸¹From the standpoint of the gospel they are ^aenemies for your sake, but ²from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for ^bthe sake of the fathers;

²⁹for the gifts and the ^acalling of God ^bare irrevocable.

³⁰For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience,

³¹so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.

³²For ^aGod has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

³³Oh, the depth of ^athe riches ¹both of the ^bwisdom and knowledge of God! ^cHow unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

³⁴For ^awho has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

³⁵Or ^awho has first given to Him ¹that it might be paid back to him again?

³⁶For ^afrom Him and through Him and to Him are all things. ^bTo Him be the glory ¹forever. Amen.

Chapter 12

Dedicated Service

¹Therefore ^aI urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to ^bpresent your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, ¹acceptable to God, which is your ²spiritual service of worship.

²And do not ^abe conformed to ^bthis ¹world, but be transformed by the ^crenewing of your mind, so that you may ^2dprove what the will of God is, that which is good and ³acceptable and perfect.

³For through ^athe grace given to me I say to everyone among you ^bnot to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to ^ceach a measure of faith.

⁴For ^ajust as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

⁵so we, ^awho are many, are ^bone body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

⁶Since we have gifts that ^adiffer according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if ^bprophecy, ¹according to the proportion of his faith;

⁷if ^1aservice, in his serving; or he who ^bteaches, in his teaching;

⁸or he who ^aexhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with ^1bliberality; ^che who ²leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with ^dcheerfulness.

⁹Let ^alove be without hypocrisy. ^bAbhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

¹⁰Be ^adevoted to one another in brotherly love; ¹give preference to one another ^bin honor;

¹¹not lagging behind in diligence, ^afervent in spirit, ^bserving the Lord;

^12arejoicing in hope, ^bpersevering in tribulation, ^cdevoted to prayer,

^13acontributing to the needs of the ¹saints, ^2bpracticing hospitality.

^14aBless those who persecute ¹you; bless and do not curse.

^15aRejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

^16aBe of the same mind toward one another; ^bdo not be haughty in mind, but ¹associate with the lowly. ^cDo not be wise in your own estimation.

^17aNever pay back evil for evil to anyone. ^1bRespect what is right in the sight of all men.

¹⁸If possible, ^aso far as it depends on you, ^bbe at peace with all men.

^19aNever take your own revenge, beloved, but ¹leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “^bVengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

²⁰“^aBut if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.