1 I saythen, God has not 1rejected His people, has He? 2May it never be! For 3I tooam an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
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God4has not rejected His peoplewhom He 5foreknew. 6Or do you not knowwhat the Scripturesays in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with GodagainstIsrael?
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"Lord, 7THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORNDOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE."
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But what is the divineresponse to him? "8I HAVE KEPT for MyselfSEVENTHOUSANDMENWHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL."
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In the samewaythen, there has alsocome to be at the presenttime9a remnantaccording to God's graciouschoice.
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But 10if it is by grace, it is nolonger on the basis of works, otherwisegrace is nolongergrace.
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Whatthen? What11Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosenobtained it, and the rest were 12hardened;
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just as it is written, "13GODGAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THISVERYDAY."
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And Davidsays, "14LET THEIR TABLEBECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLINGBLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.
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"15LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKSFOREVER*."
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16I saythen, they did not stumbleso as to fall, did they? 17May it never be! But by their transgression18salvation has come to the Gentiles, to 19make them jealous.
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Nowif their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, howmuchmore will their 20fulfillment be!
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But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch*then as 21I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
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ifsomehow I might 22move to jealousy23my fellowcountrymen and 24savesome of them.
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For if their rejection is the 25reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but 26life from the dead?
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If the 27firstpiece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
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But ifsome of the 28branches were brokenoff, and 29you, being a wildolive, were grafted in among them and becamepartaker with them of the richroot of the olivetree,
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do not be arroganttoward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that 30it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
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31You will saythen, "Branches were brokenoffso that I might be grafted in."
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Quiteright, they were brokenoff for their unbelief, but you 32stand by your faith. 33Do not be conceited*, but fear;
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for ifGod did not spare the naturalbranches, He will not spare you, either.
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Beholdthen the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's34kindness, 35if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also36will be cutoff.
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And they also, 37if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
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For if you were cutoff from what is by nature a wildolivetree, and were graftedcontrary to nature into a cultivatedolivetree, howmuchmore will thesewho are the natural* branches be grafted into their ownolivetree?
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For 38I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this39mystery-so* that you will not be 40wise in your ownestimation -that a partial41hardening has happened to Israeluntil the 42fullness of the Gentiles has come in;
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and soallIsrael will be saved; just as it is written, "43THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVEUNGODLINESS FROM JACOB."
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"44THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, 45WHEN I TAKEAWAY THEIR SINS."
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From the standpoint of the gospel they are 46enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for 47the sake of the fathers;
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for the gifts and the 48calling of God49are irrevocable.
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For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shownmercy because of their disobedience,
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sothesealsonow have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shownmercy.
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For 50God has shut up all in disobedienceso that He may showmercy to all.
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Oh, the depth of 51the richesboth of the 52wisdom and knowledge of God! 53Howunsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
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For 54WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, ORWHOBECAME HIS COUNSELOR?
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Or55WHO HAS FIRSTGIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAIDBACK TO HIM AGAIN?
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For 56from Him and through Him and to Him are allthings. 57To Him be the gloryforever. Amen.