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Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.(A) God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?(B) “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”(C) So, too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.[a](D)

What then? Israel has not achieved what it was pursuing. The elect have achieved it, but the rest were hardened,(E) as it is written,

“God gave them a sluggish spirit,
    eyes that would not see
    and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”(F)

And David says,

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

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Footnotes

  1. 11.6 Other ancient authorities add But if it is by works, it is no longer on the basis of grace, otherwise work would no longer be work

Israel Has Not Been Rejected

11 I say then, God has not (A)rejected His people, has He? [a](B)Far from it! For (C)I too am an Israelite, [b]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God (D)has not rejected His people whom He (E)foreknew. (F)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, (G)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what [c]is the divine response to him? “(H)I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time (I)a remnant according to God’s [d]gracious choice. But (J)if it is by grace, it is no longer [e]on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace.

What then? What (K)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but [f]those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were (L)hardened; just as it is written:

(M)God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”

And David says,

(N)May their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 (O)May their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs continually.”

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:1 Lit May it never happen!
  2. Romans 11:1 Lit of the seed of Abraham
  3. Romans 11:4 Lit says
  4. Romans 11:5 Lit choice of grace
  5. Romans 11:6 Lit out of
  6. Romans 11:7 Lit the election