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Romans 9-12
New Living Translation

God’s Selection of Israel

9 With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2 My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3 for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4 They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children.[b] God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.[c]

6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,”[d] though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”[e]

10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins.[f] 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.”[g] 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”[h]

14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,

“I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
    and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”[i]

16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.

17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.”[j] 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

19 Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”

20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. 23 He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. 24 And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles.

25 Concerning the Gentiles, God says in the prophecy of Hosea,

“Those who were not my people,
    I will now call my people.
And I will love those
    whom I did not love before.”[k]

26 And,

“Then, at the place where they were told,
    ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called
    ‘children of the living God.’”[l]

27 And concerning Israel, Isaiah the prophet cried out,

“Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore,
    only a remnant will be saved.
28 For the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth
    quickly and with finality.”[m]

29 And Isaiah said the same thing in another place:

“If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    had not spared a few of our children,
we would have been wiped out like Sodom,
    destroyed like Gomorrah.”[n]

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. 31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law[o] instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem[p] that makes people stumble,
    a rock that makes them fall.
But anyone who trusts in him
    will never be disgraced.”[q]

10 Dear brothers and sisters,[r] the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.[s] As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

Salvation Is for Everyone

5 For Moses writes that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands.[t] 6 But faith’s way of getting right with God says, “Don’t say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (to bring Christ down to earth). 7 And don’t say, ‘Who will go down to the place of the dead?’ (to bring Christ back to life again).” 8 In fact, it says,

“The message is very close at hand;
    it is on your lips and in your heart.”[u]

And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”[v] 12 Jew and Gentile[w] are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[x]

14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”[y]

16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[z] 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have:

“The message has gone throughout the earth,
    and the words to all the world.”[aa]

19 But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said,

“I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation.
    I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles.”[ab]

20 And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying,

“I was found by people who were not looking for me.
    I showed myself to those who were not asking for me.”[ac]

21 But regarding Israel, God said,

“All day long I opened my arms to them,
    but they were disobedient and rebellious.”[ad]

God’s Mercy on Israel

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”[ae]

4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”[af]

5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel[ag] have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. 6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

7 So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened. 8 As the Scriptures say,

“God has put them into a deep sleep.
To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see,
    and closed their ears so they do not hear.”[ah]

9 Likewise, David said,

“Let their bountiful table become a snare,
    a trap that makes them think all is well.
Let their blessings cause them to stumble,
    and let them get what they deserve.
10 Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see,
    and let their backs be bent forever.”[ai]

11 Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. 12 Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it.

13 I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, 14 for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. 15 For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! 16 And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.

17 But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. 18 But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

19 “Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” 20 Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. 21 For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t[aj] spare you either.

22 Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. 23 And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 24 You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong.

God’s Mercy Is for Everyone

25 I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters,[ak] so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. 26 And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,

“The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem,[al]
    and he will turn Israel[am] away from ungodliness.
27 And this is my covenant with them,
    that I will take away their sins.”[an]

28 Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 29 For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. 30 Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. 31 Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share[ao] in God’s mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
    Who knows enough to give him advice?[ap]
35 And who has given him so much
    that he needs to pay it back?[aq]

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

A Living Sacrifice to God

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[ar] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[as] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

3 Because of the privilege and authority[at] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[au] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[av] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[aw] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[ax]
    says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”[ay]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Footnotes

  1. 9:3 Greek my brothers.
  2. 9:4 Greek chosen for sonship.
  3. 9:5 Or May God, the one who rules over everything, be praised forever. Amen.
  4. 9:7 Gen 21:12.
  5. 9:9 Gen 18:10, 14.
  6. 9:10 Greek she conceived children through this one man.
  7. 9:12 Gen 25:23.
  8. 9:13 Mal 1:2-3.
  9. 9:15 Exod 33:19.
  10. 9:17 Exod 9:16 (Greek version).
  11. 9:25 Hos 2:23.
  12. 9:26 Greek sons of the living God. Hos 1:10.
  13. 9:27-28 Isa 10:22-23 (Greek version).
  14. 9:29 Isa 1:9 (Greek version).
  15. 9:32 Greek by works.
  16. 9:33a Greek in Zion.
  17. 9:33b Isa 8:14; 28:16 (Greek version).
  18. 10:1 Greek Brothers.
  19. 10:4 Or For Christ is the end of the law.
  20. 10:5 See Lev 18:5.
  21. 10:6-8 Deut 30:12-14.
  22. 10:11 Isa 28:16 (Greek version).
  23. 10:12 Greek and Greek.
  24. 10:13 Joel 2:32.
  25. 10:15 Isa 52:7.
  26. 10:16 Isa 53:1.
  27. 10:18 Ps 19:4.
  28. 10:19 Deut 32:21.
  29. 10:20 Isa 65:1 (Greek version).
  30. 10:21 Isa 65:2 (Greek version).
  31. 11:3 1 Kgs 19:10, 14.
  32. 11:4 1 Kgs 19:18.
  33. 11:5 Greek for a remnant.
  34. 11:8 Isa 29:10; Deut 29:4.
  35. 11:9-10 Ps 69:22-23 (Greek version).
  36. 11:21 Some manuscripts read perhaps he won’t.
  37. 11:25 Greek brothers.
  38. 11:26a Greek from Zion.
  39. 11:26b Greek Jacob.
  40. 11:26-27 Isa 59:20-21; 27:9 (Greek version).
  41. 11:31 Other manuscripts read will now share; still others read will someday share.
  42. 11:34 Isa 40:13 (Greek version).
  43. 11:35 See Job 41:11.
  44. 12:1a Greek brothers.
  45. 12:1b Or This is your spiritual worship; or This is your reasonable service.
  46. 12:3a Or Because of the grace; compare 1:5.
  47. 12:3b Or by the faith God has given you; or by the standard of our God-given faith.
  48. 12:10 Greek with brotherly love.
  49. 12:11 Or but serve the Lord with a zealous spirit; or but let the Spirit excite you as you serve the Lord.
  50. 12:19 Deut 32:35.
  51. 12:20 Prov 25:21-22.
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Romans 9-12
New International Version

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying,(A) my conscience confirms(B) it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself(C) were cursed(D) and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people,(E) those of my own race,(F) 4 the people of Israel.(G) Theirs is the adoption to sonship;(H) theirs the divine glory,(I) the covenants,(J) the receiving of the law,(K) the temple worship(L) and the promises.(M) 5 Theirs are the patriarchs,(N) and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah,(O) who is God over all,(P) forever praised![a](Q) Amen.

God’s Sovereign Choice

6 It is not as though God’s word(R) had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.(S) 7 Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”[b](T) 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children,(U) but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.(V) 9 For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”[c](W)

10 Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.(X) 11 Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad(Y)—in order that God’s purpose(Z) in election might stand: 12 not by works but by him who calls—she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”[d](AA) 13 Just as it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”[e](AB)

14 What then shall we say?(AC) Is God unjust? Not at all!(AD) 15 For he says to Moses,

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
    and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”[f](AE)

16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.(AF) 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g](AG) 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.(AH)

19 One of you will say to me:(AI) “Then why does God still blame us?(AJ) For who is able to resist his will?”(AK) 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God?(AL) “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it,(AM) ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h](AN) 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?(AO)

22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience(AP) the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?(AQ) 23 What if he did this to make the riches of his glory(AR) known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory(AS)— 24 even us, whom he also called,(AT) not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?(AU) 25 As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”[i](AV)

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,
    ‘You are not my people,’
    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”[j](AW)

27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel:

“Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea,(AX)
    only the remnant will be saved.(AY)
28 For the Lord will carry out
    his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”[k](AZ)

29 It is just as Isaiah said previously:

“Unless the Lord Almighty(BA)
    had left us descendants,
we would have become like Sodom,
    we would have been like Gomorrah.”[l](BB)

Israel’s Unbelief

30 What then shall we say?(BC) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;(BD) 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,(BE) have not attained their goal.(BF) 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(BG) 33 As it is written:

“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[m](BH)

10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(BI) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous(BJ) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(BK) 4 Christ is the culmination of the law(BL) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.(BM)

5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[n](BN) 6 But the righteousness that is by faith(BO) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[o](BP) (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[p](BQ) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).(BR) 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[q](BS) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare(BT) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(BU) and believe(BV) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(BW) you will be saved.(BX) 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. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[r](BY) 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile(BZ)—the same Lord is Lord of all(CA) and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord(CB) will be saved.”[s](CC)

14 How, 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? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[t](CD)

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.(CE) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[u](CF) 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,(CG) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.(CH) 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.”[v](CI)

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

“I will make you envious(CJ) by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[w](CK)

20 And Isaiah boldly says,

“I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[x](CL)

21 But concerning Israel he says,

“All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.”[y](CM)

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!(CN) I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,(CO) from the tribe of Benjamin.(CP) 2 God did not reject his people,(CQ) whom he foreknew.(CR) 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”[z]?(CS) 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[aa](CT) 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant(CU) chosen by grace.(CV) 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works;(CW) if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.(CX) The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,(CY) 8 as it is written:

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,(CZ)
to this very day.”[ab](DA)

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,(DB)
    and their backs be bent forever.”[ac](DC)

Ingrafted Branches

11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!(DD) Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles(DE) to make Israel envious.(DF) 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,(DG) 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,(DH) I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy(DI) and save(DJ) some of them. 15 For if their rejection brought reconciliation(DK) to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?(DL) 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits(DM) 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,(DN) and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others(DO) and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do 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.(DP) 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.(DQ) Do not be arrogant,(DR) but tremble.(DS) 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider therefore the kindness(DT) and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue(DU) in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.(DV) 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.(DW) 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,(DX) 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(DY) of this mystery,(DZ) brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited:(EA) Israel has experienced a hardening(EB) in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,(EC) 26 and in this way[ad] all Israel will be saved.(ED) As it is written:

“The deliverer will come from Zion;
    he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is[ae] my covenant with them
    when I take away their sins.”[af](EE)

28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies(EF) for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs,(EG) 29 for God’s gifts and his call(EH) are irrevocable.(EI) 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient(EJ) 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[ag] receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience(EK) so that he may have mercy on them all.

Doxology

33 Oh, the depth of the riches(EL) of the wisdom and[ah] knowledge of God!(EM)
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!(EN)
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”[ai](EO)
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”[aj](EP)
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.(EQ)
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.(ER)

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you,(ES) brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,(ET) holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform(EU) to the pattern of this world,(EV) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(EW) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is(EX)—his good, pleasing(EY) and perfect will.

Humble Service in the Body of Christ

3 For by the grace given me(EZ) I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,(FA) 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body,(FB) and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts,(FC) according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying,(FD) then prophesy in accordance with your[ak] faith;(FE) 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;(FF) 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement;(FG) if it is giving, then give generously;(FH) if it is to lead,[al] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love in Action

9 Love must be sincere.(FI) Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.(FJ) 10 Be devoted to one another in love.(FK) Honor one another above yourselves.(FL) 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,(FM) serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope,(FN) patient in affliction,(FO) faithful in prayer.(FP) 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.(FQ) Practice hospitality.(FR)

14 Bless those who persecute you;(FS) bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.(FT) 16 Live in harmony with one another.(FU) Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[am] Do not be conceited.(FV)

17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil.(FW) Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.(FX) 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(FY) 19 Do not take revenge,(FZ) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[an](GA) says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[ao](GB)

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

Footnotes

  1. Romans 9:5 Or Messiah, who is over all. God be forever praised! Or Messiah. God who is over all be forever praised!
  2. Romans 9:7 Gen. 21:12
  3. Romans 9:9 Gen. 18:10,14
  4. Romans 9:12 Gen. 25:23
  5. Romans 9:13 Mal. 1:2,3
  6. Romans 9:15 Exodus 33:19
  7. Romans 9:17 Exodus 9:16
  8. Romans 9:20 Isaiah 29:16; 45:9
  9. Romans 9:25 Hosea 2:23
  10. Romans 9:26 Hosea 1:10
  11. Romans 9:28 Isaiah 10:22,23 (see Septuagint)
  12. Romans 9:29 Isaiah 1:9
  13. Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
  14. Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
  15. Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
  16. Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
  17. Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
  18. Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
  19. Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
  20. Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
  21. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
  22. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
  23. Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
  24. Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
  25. Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2
  26. Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14
  27. Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
  28. Romans 11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10
  29. Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23
  30. Romans 11:26 Or and so
  31. Romans 11:27 Or will be
  32. Romans 11:27 Isaiah 59:20,21; 27:9 (see Septuagint); Jer. 31:33,34
  33. Romans 11:31 Some manuscripts do not have now.
  34. Romans 11:33 Or riches and the wisdom and the
  35. Romans 11:34 Isaiah 40:13
  36. Romans 11:35 Job 41:11
  37. Romans 12:6 Or the
  38. Romans 12:8 Or to provide for others
  39. Romans 12:16 Or willing to do menial work
  40. Romans 12:19 Deut. 32:35
  41. Romans 12:20 Prov. 25:21,22
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