Common English Bible CEB
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 So I ask you, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! I'm an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
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So I ask, "Has God rejected his people Israel?" That's unthinkable! Consider this. I'm an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God hasn't rejected his people, whom he knew in advance. Or don't you know what the scripture says in the case of Elijah, when he pleads with God against Israel?
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God has not rejected his people whom he knew long ago. Don't you know what Elijah says in the Scripture passage when he complains to God about Israel? He says,
3 Lord, they have killed your prophets, and they have torn down your altars. I'm the only one left, and they are trying to take my life.
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"Lord, they've killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I'm the only one left, and they're trying to take my life."
4 But what is God's reply to him? I have kept for myself seven thousand people who haven't bowed their knees to Baal.
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But what was God's reply? God said, "I've kept 7,000 people for myself who have not knelt to worship Baal."
5 So also in the present time there is a remaining group by the choice of God's grace.
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So, as there were then, there are now a few left that God has chosen by his kindness.
6 But if it is by grace, it isn't by what's done anymore. If it were, God's grace wouldn't be grace.
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If they were chosen by God's kindness, they weren't chosen because of anything they did. Otherwise, God's kindness wouldn't be kindness.
7 So what? Israel didn't find what it was looking for. Those who were chosen found it, but the others were resistant.
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So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed,
8 As it is written, God gave them a dull spirit, so that their eyes would not see and their ears not hear, right up until the present day.
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as Scripture says, "To this day God has given them a spirit of deep sleep. Their eyes don't see, and their ears don't hear!"
9 And David says, Their table should become a pitfall and a trap, a stumbling block and payback to them for what they have done.
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And David says, "Let the table set for them become a trap and a net, a snare and a punishment for them.
10 Their eyes should be darkened so they can't see, and their backs always bent.
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Let their vision become clouded so that they cannot see. Let them carry back-breaking burdens forever."
11 So I'm asking you: They haven't stumbled so that they've fallen permanently, have they? Absolutely not! But salvation has come to the Gentiles by their failure, in order to make Israel jealous.
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So I ask, "Has Israel stumbled so badly that it can't get up again?" That's unthinkable! By Israel's failure, salvation has come to people who are not Jewish to make the Jewish people jealous.
12 But if their failure brings riches to the world, and their defeat brings riches to the Gentiles, how much more will come from the completion of their number!
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The fall of the Jewish people made the world spiritually rich. Their failure made people who are not Jewish spiritually rich. So the inclusion of Jewish people will make the world even richer.
13 I'm speaking to you Gentiles. Considering that I'm an apostle to the Gentiles, I publicize my own ministry
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Now, I speak to you who are not Jewish. As long as I am an apostle sent to people who are not Jewish, I bring honor to my ministry.
14 in the hope that somehow I might make my own people jealous and save some of them.
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Perhaps I can make my people jealous and save some of them.
15 If their rejection has brought about a close relationship between God and the world, how can their acceptance mean anything less than life from the dead?
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If Israel's rejection means that the world has been brought back to God, what does Israel's acceptance mean? It means that Israel has come back to life.
16 But if part of a batch of dough is offered to God as holy, the whole batch of dough is holy too. If a root is holy, the branches will be holy too.
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If the first handful of dough is holy, the whole batch of dough is holy. If the root is holy, the branches are holy.
17 If some of the branches were broken off, and you were a wild olive branch, and you were grafted in among the other branches and shared the root that produces the rich oil of the olive tree,
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But some of the olive branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place. You get your nourishment from the roots of the olive tree.
18 then don't brag like you're better than the other branches. If you do brag, be careful: it's not you that sustains the root, but it's the root that sustains you.
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So don't brag about being better than the other branches. If you brag, remember that you don't support the root, the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in."
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"Well," you say, "Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted onto the tree."
20 Fine. They were broken off because they weren't faithful, but you stand only by your faithfulness. So don't think in a proud way; instead be afraid.
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That's right! They were broken off because they didn't believe, but you remain on the tree because you do believe. Don't feel arrogant, but be afraid.
21 If God didn't spare the natural branches, he won't spare you either.
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If God didn't spare the natural branches, he won't spare you, either.
22 So look at God's kindness and harshness. It's harshness toward those who fell, but it's God's kindness for you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise, you could be cut off too.
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Look at how kind and how severe God can be. He is severe to those who fell, but kind to you if you continue to hold on to his kindness. Otherwise, you, too, will be cut off [from the tree].
23 And even those who were cut off will be grafted back in if they don't continue to be unfaithful, because God is able to graft them in again.
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If Jewish people do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted onto the tree again, because God is able to do that.
24 If you were naturally part of a wild olive tree and you were cut off from it, and then, contrary to nature, you were grafted into the cultivated olive tree, won't these natural branches stand an even better chance of being grafted back onto their own olive tree?
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In spite of the fact that you have been cut from a wild olive tree, you have been grafted onto a cultivated one. So wouldn't it be easier for these natural branches to be grafted onto the olive tree they belong to?
25 I don't want you to be unaware of this secret, brothers and sisters. That way you won't think too highly of yourselves. A part of Israel has become resistant until the full number of the Gentiles comes in.
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Brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery so that you won't become arrogant. The minds of some Israelites have become closed until all of God's non-Jewish people are included.
26 In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodly behavior from Jacob.
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In this way Israel as a whole will be saved, as Scripture says, "The Savior will come from Zion. He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
27 This is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.
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My promise to them will be fulfilled when I take away their sins."
28 According to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but according to God's choice, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors.
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The Good News made the Jewish people enemies because of you. But by God's choice they are loved because of their ancestors.
29 God's gifts and calling can't be taken back.
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God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone.
30 Once you were disobedient to God, but now you have mercy because they were disobedient.
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In the past, you disobeyed God. But now God has been merciful to you because of the disobedience of the Jewish people.
31 In the same way, they have also been disobedient because of the mercy that you received, so now they can receive mercy too.
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In the same way, the Jewish people have also disobeyed so that God may be merciful to them as he was to you.
32 God has locked up all people in disobedience, in order to have mercy on all of them.
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God has placed all people into the prison of their own disobedience so that he could be merciful to all people.
33 God's riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep! They are as mysterious as his judgments, and they are as hard to track as his paths!
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God's riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways.
34 Who has known the Lord's mind? Or who has been his mentor?
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"Who knows how the Lord thinks? Who can become his adviser?"
35 Or who has given him a gift and has been paid back by him?
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Who gave the Lord something which the Lord must pay back?
36 All things are from him and through him and for him. May the glory be to him forever. Amen.
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Everything is from him and by him and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen!
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.