Romans 10–11

10Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire^v and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. ²For I can testify about them that they are zealous^w for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. ³Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.^{x 4}Christ is the culmination of the law^y so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.^z

⁵Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{aa 6}But the righteousness that is by faith^b says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ”^bc (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ”^cd (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).^{e 8}But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^df that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹If you declare^g with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”^h and believeⁱ in your heart that God raised him from the dead,^j you will be saved.^{k 10}For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{el 12}For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile^m—the same Lord is Lord of allⁿ and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord^o will be saved.”^fp

¹⁴How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”^gq

¹⁶But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.^r For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”^{hs 17}Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,^t and the message is heard through the word about Christ.^{u 18}But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:

“Their voice has gone out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.”^iv

¹⁹Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

“I will make you envious^w by those who are not a nation;

I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”^jx

²⁰And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;

I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”^ky

²¹But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands

to a disobedient and obstinate people.”^lz

The Remnant of Israel

11I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!^a I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,^b from the tribe of Benjamin.^{c 2}God did not reject his people,^d whom he foreknew.^e 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”^a?^{f 4}And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”^{bg 5}So too, at the present time there is a remnant^h chosen by grace.^{i 6}And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works;^j if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

⁷What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.^k The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,^{l 8}as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,

eyes that could not see

and ears that could not hear,^m

to this very day.”^cn

⁹And David says:

“May their table become a snare and a trap,

a stumbling block and a retribution for them.

¹⁰May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,^o

and their backs be bent forever.”^dp

Ingrafted Branches

¹¹Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!^q Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles^r to make Israel envious.^{s 12}But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,^t how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!

¹³I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,^u I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy^v and save^w some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection brought reconciliation^x to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?^{y 16}If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits^z is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷If some of the branches have been broken off,^a and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others^b and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.^{c 19}You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.^d Do not be arrogant,^e but tremble.^{f 21}For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

²²Consider therefore the kindness^g and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue^h in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.^{i 23}And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.^{j 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,^k how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

All Israel Will Be Saved

²⁵I do not want you to be ignorant^l of this mystery,^m brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:ⁿ Israel has experienced a hardening^o in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,^{p 26}and in this way^e all Israel will be saved.^q As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;

he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

²⁷And this is^f my covenant with them

when I take away their sins.”^gr

²⁸As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies^s for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,^{t 29}for God’s gifts and his call^u are irrevocable.^{v 30}Just as you who were at one time disobedient^w to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now^h receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. ³²For God has bound everyone over to disobedience^x so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology

³³Oh, the depth of the riches^y of the wisdom andⁱ knowledge of God!^z

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!^a

³⁴“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”^jb

³⁵“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?”^kc

³⁶For from him and through him and for him are all things.^d

To him be the glory forever! Amen.^e