³⁵ And Jesus said to them, ^(A)“I am the bread of life. ^(B)He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never ^(C)thirst. ^36 (D)But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet ^(E)do not believe. ^37 (F)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and ^(G)the one who comes to Me I will ^[a]by no means cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, ^(H)not to do My own will, ^(I)but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, ^(J)that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, ^(K)that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Rejected by His Own

⁴¹ The Jews then ^[b]complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” ⁴² And they said, ^(L)“Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, ^[c]“Do not murmur among yourselves. ^44 (M)No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me ^(N)draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ^(O)‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ ^(P)Therefore everyone who ^[d]has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. ^46 (Q)Not that anyone has seen the Father, ^(R)except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, ^(S)he who believes ^[e]in Me has everlasting life. ^48 (T)I am the bread of life. ^49 (U)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ^50 (V)This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread ^(W)which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and ^(X)the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore ^(Y)quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless ^(Z)you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ^54 (AA)Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is ^[f]food indeed, and My blood is ^[g]drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood ^(AB)abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ^58 (AC)This is the bread which came down from heaven—not ^(AD)as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Turn Away

^60 (AE)Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a ^[h]hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples ^[i]complained about this, He said to them, “Does this ^[j]offend you? ^62 (AF)What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ^63 (AG)It is the Spirit who gives life; the ^(AH)flesh profits nothing. The ^(AI)words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But ^(AJ)there are some of you who do not believe.” For ^(AK)Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore ^(AL)I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

^66 (AM)From that time many of His disciples went ^[k]back and walked with Him no more. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have ^(AN)the words of eternal life. ^69 (AO)Also we have come to believe and know that You are the ^[l]Christ, the Son of the living God.”

⁷⁰ Jesus answered them, ^(AP)“Did I not choose you, the twelve, ^(AQ)and one of you is a devil?”

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9 I ^(A)tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, ^2 (B)that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. ³ For ^(C)I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my ^[a]countrymen according to the flesh, ⁴ who are Israelites, ^(D)to whom pertain the adoption, ^(E)the glory, ^(F)the covenants, ^(G)the giving of the law, ^(H)the service of God, and ^(I)the promises; ^5 (J)of whom are the fathers and from ^(K)whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, ^(L)who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose^(M)

^6 (N)But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For ^(O)they are not all Israel who are of Israel, ^7 (P)nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ^(Q)“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” ⁸ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but ^(R)the children of the promise are counted as the seed. ⁹ For this is the word of promise: ^(S)“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

¹⁰ And not only this, but when ^(T)Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac ¹¹ (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of ^(U)Him who calls), ¹² it was said to her, ^(V)“The older shall serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, ^(W)“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice

¹⁴ What shall we say then? ^(X)Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! ¹⁵ For He says to Moses, ^(Y)“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” ¹⁶ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. ¹⁷ For ^(Z)the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ^(AA)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” ¹⁸ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He ^(AB)hardens.

¹⁹ You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For ^(AC)who has resisted His will?” ²⁰ But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? ^(AD)Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” ²¹ Does not the ^(AE)potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make ^(AF)one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

²² What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering ^(AG)the vessels of wrath ^(AH)prepared for destruction, ²³ and that He might make known ^(AI)the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had ^(AJ)prepared beforehand for glory, ²⁴ even us whom He ^(AK)called, ^(AL)not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

²⁵ As He says also in Hosea:

²⁷ Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:

²⁹ And as Isaiah said before:

Present Condition of Israel

³⁰ What shall we say then? ^(AT)That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, ^(AU)even the righteousness of faith; ³¹ but Israel, ^(AV)pursuing the law of righteousness, ^(AW)has not attained to the law ^[d]of righteousness. ³² Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, ^[e]by the works of the law. For ^(AX)they stumbled at that stumbling stone. ³³ As it is written:

Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for ^[f]Israel is that they may be saved. ² For I bear them witness ^(BA)that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. ³ For they being ignorant of ^(BB)God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own ^(BC)righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. ⁴ For ^(BD)Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ^(BE)“The man who does those things shall live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ^(BF)“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, ^(BG)“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? ^(BH)“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that ^(BI)if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, ^(BJ)“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” ¹² For ^(BK)there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for ^(BL)the same Lord over all ^(BM)is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For ^(BN)“whoever calls ^(BO)on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Israel Rejects the Gospel

¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear ^(BP)without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

¹⁶ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ^(BR)“Lord, who has believed our report?” ¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

¹⁸ But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

¹⁹ But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

²⁰ But Isaiah is very bold and says:

²¹ But to Israel he says:

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, ^(BX)has God cast away His people? ^(BY)Certainly not! For ^(BZ)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. ² God has not cast away His people whom ^(CA)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, ^3 (CB)“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? ⁴ But what does the divine response say to him? ^(CC)“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” ^5 (CD)Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. ⁶ And ^(CE)if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. ^[h]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

⁷ What then? ^(CF)Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were ^(CG)blinded. ⁸ Just as it is written:

⁹ And David says:

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

¹¹ I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But ^(CK)through their ^[i]fall, to provoke them to ^(CL)jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. ¹² Now if their ^[j]fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as ^(CM)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and ^(CN)save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be ^(CO)but life from the dead?

¹⁶ For if ^(CP)the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ And if ^(CQ)some of the branches were broken off, ^(CR)and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and ^[k]fatness of the olive tree, ^18 (CS)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Well said. Because of ^(CT)unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. ²² Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, ^[l]goodness, ^(CU)if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise ^(CV)you also will be cut off. ²³ And they also, ^(CW)if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

²⁵ For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be ^(CX)wise in your own ^[m]opinion, that ^(CY)blindness in part has happened to Israel ^(CZ)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be ^[n]saved, as it is written:

²⁸ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are ^(DC)beloved for the sake of the fathers. ²⁹ For the gifts and the calling of God are ^(DD)irrevocable. ³⁰ For as you ^(DE)were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, ³¹ even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. ³² For God has ^[o]committed them ^(DF)all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

³⁶ For ^(DJ)of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, ^(DK)to whom be glory forever. Amen.