Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹³ Now I say this to you who are not Jews. I am an apostle to those who are not Jews, so I think highly of the work I have been sent to do.

¹⁴ I want the people of my own nation, the Jews, to be jealous. Then I may be able to save some of them.

¹⁵ God turned away from the Jews in order to bring the world back to himself. Then if that is true, when he takes the Jews back to himself, will not that be like making dead people live?

¹⁶ If the first piece of bread is holy, so is all the rest which came from the same bread mix. If the root of a tree is holy, the branches are holy also.

¹⁷ Maybe some of the tree's branches were broken off. And you, a branch from a wild olive tree, were made to grow on the tree among the branches. You then have the good water that comes from the root of the olive tree.

¹⁸ But do not think that you are better than the tree's own branches. If you do, remember it is not you that holds the root in place. But it is the root that holds you.

¹⁹ Then you will say, `The branches were broken off so that I might be joined to the tree.'

²⁰ That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe. And you have your place only because you believe. So do not be proud, but fear.

²¹ If God punished the tree's own branches, he will punish you also.

²² See how kind God is. And see how hard he is. He is hard on those who have fallen. But God is kind to you if you go on following in his ways. If you do not, you also will be broken off.

²³ God will also put back the other branches if they believe. God is able to put the Jews back where they belong.

²⁴ You were cut off from a wild olive tree. And you were put on a good olive tree. That is not the way trees grow. But it can be done. And so, even more, the Jewish branches will be put back on their own olive tree.

²⁵ My brothers, I want you to know something that has been a secret. Then you will not be proud of yourselves. The secret is this. Some Jews will have hard hearts until the right number of other people have come in.

²⁶ Then all the Jews will be saved. The holy writings say, `Someone will come from Zion to save people. He will take away the wrong ways of our father Jacob.'

²⁷ This will be my agreement with them when I take away the wrong things they have done.

²⁸ The Jews make themselves enemies of God because they do not want the good news of Jesus Christ. That helps you since the good news has then come to you. But God still loves the Jews because of the promise he made to their fathers long ago.

²⁹ God does not change his gifts or his call to people.