Romans 10:3-12:1

English Standard Version

³For, being ignorant of ^(A)the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. ⁴For ^(B)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.^[a]

The Message of Salvation to All

⁵For ^(C)Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that ^(D)the person who does the commandments shall live by them. ⁶But ^(E)the righteousness based on faith says, ^(F)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the ^(G)abyss?’” (that is, ^(H)to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say? ^(I)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because, if ^(J)you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and ^(K)believe in your heart ^(L)that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ¹¹For the Scripture says, ^(M)“Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹²^(N)For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; ^(O)for the same Lord is Lord of all, ^(P)bestowing his riches on all who call on him. ¹³For ^(Q)“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him ^(R)of whom they have never heard?^[b] And how are they to hear ^(S)without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ^(T)“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶But ^(U)they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(V)“Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷So ^(W)faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

¹⁸But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for

^(X)“Their voice has gone out ^(Y)to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”

¹⁹But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

^(Z)“I will ^(AA)make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a ^(AB)foolish nation I will make you angry.”

²⁰Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

^(AC)“I have been found by those who did not seek me;
I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

²¹But of Israel he says, ^(AD)“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

The Remnant of Israel

11 I ask, then, ^(AE)has God rejected his people? By no means! For ^(AF)I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,^[c] a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ²^(AG)God has not rejected his people whom he ^(AH)foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? ³^(AI)“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” ⁴But what is God's reply to him? ^(AJ)“I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ⁵So too at the present time there is ^(AK)a remnant, chosen by grace. ⁶^(AL)But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

⁷What then? ^(AM)Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest ^(AN)were hardened, ⁸as it is written,

^(AO)“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
^(AP)eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

⁹And David says,

^(AQ)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
¹⁰let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”

Gentiles Grafted In

¹¹So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass ^(AR)salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. ¹²Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion^[d] mean!

¹³Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as ^(AS)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry ¹⁴in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and ^(AT)thus save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection means ^(AU)the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ¹⁶^(AV)If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷But if ^(AW)some of the branches were broken off, and you, ^(AX)although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root^[e] of the olive tree, ¹⁸do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. ¹⁹Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you ^(AY)stand fast through faith. So ^(AZ)do not become proud, but ^(BA)fear. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. ²²Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, ^(BB)provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise ^(BC)you too will be cut off. ²³And ^(BD)even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. ²⁴For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

The Mystery of Israel's Salvation

²⁵^(BE)Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:^[f] ^(BF)a partial hardening has come upon Israel, ^(BG)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

^(BH)“The Deliverer will come ^(BI)from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
²⁷“and this will be my ^(BJ)covenant with them
^(BK)when I take away their sins.”

²⁸As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are ^(BL)beloved for the sake of their forefathers. ²⁹For the gifts and ^(BM)the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰For just as ^(BN)you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now^[g] receive mercy. ³²For God ^(BO)has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches and ^(BP)wisdom and knowledge of God! ^(BQ)How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴“For ^(BR)who has known the mind of the Lord,
or ^(BS)who has been his counselor?”
³⁵“Or ^(BT)who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

³⁶For ^(BU)from him and through him and to him are all things. ^(BV)To him be glory forever. Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 ^(BW)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,^[h] by the mercies of God, ^(BX)to present your bodies ^(BY)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.^[i]