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 ²God 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 ⁴And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”^b^g ⁵So too, at the present time there is a remnant^h chosen by grace.ⁱ ⁶And 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 ⁸as 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.”^d^p

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 ¹²But 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!

Read in Logos

Footnotes

Cross references

a Lev 26:44; 1 Sa 12:22; Ps 94:14; Jer 31:37; 33:24–26
b 2 Co 11:22
c Php 3:5
dSee ver 1
eSee Ro 8:29
f 1 Ki 19:10, 14
g 1 Ki 19:18
hSee Ro 9:27
iSee Ro 3:24
j Ro 4:4
k Ro 9:31
lver 25; See Ro 9:18
mSee Mt 13:13–15
n Dt 29:4; Isa 29:10
over 8
p Ps 69:22, 23
qver 1
rSee Ac 13:46
sver 14; Ro 10:19
tver 25