God Has Not Rejected His People
1 Am I saying that God has turned his back on his people? Certainly not! I am one of the people of Israel, and I myself am a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not turn his back on his chosen people. Don't you remember reading in the Scriptures how Elijah complained to God about the people of Israel? 3 He said, “Lord, they killed your prophets and destroyed your altars. I am the only one left, and now they want to kill me.”
4 But the Lord told Elijah, “I still have 7,000 followers who have not worshiped Baal.” 5 It is the same way now. God treated the people of Israel with undeserved grace, and so a few of them are still his followers. 6 This happened because of God's undeserved kindness and not because of anything they have done. It could not have happened except for God's gift of undeserved grace.
7 This means that only a chosen few of the people of Israel found what all of them were searching for. And the rest of them were stubborn, 8 just as the Scriptures say,
“God made them so stupid
that their eyes are blind,
and their ears
are still deaf.”
9 Then David said,
“Turn their meals
into bait for a trap,
so that they will stumble
and be given
what they deserve.
10 Blindfold their eyes!
Don't let them see.
Bend their backs
beneath a burden
that will never be lifted.”
Gentiles Will Be Saved
11 Do I mean that the people of Israel fell, never to get up again? Certainly not! Their failure made it possible for the Gentiles to be saved, and this will make the people of Israel jealous. 12 But if the rest of the world's people were helped so much by their sin and loss, they will be helped even more by their full return.
13 I am now speaking to you Gentiles, and as long as I am an apostle to you, I will take pride in my work. 14 I hope in this way to make some of my own people jealous enough to be saved. 15 When Israel rejected God, the rest of the people in the world were able to turn to him. So when God makes friends with Israel, it will be like bringing the dead back to life. 16 If part of a batch of dough is made holy by being offered to God, then all of the dough is holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the rest of the tree is holy too.
17 You Gentiles are like branches of a wild olive tree made to be part of a cultivated olive tree. You have taken the place of some branches that were cut away from it. And because of this, you enjoy the blessings that come from being part of that cultivated tree. 18 But don't think you are better than the branches that were cut away. Just remember you are not supporting the roots of this tree. Its roots are supporting you.
19 Maybe you think those branches were cut away, so you could be put in their place. 20 That's true enough. But they were cut away because they did not have faith, and you are where you are because you do have faith. So don't be proud, but be afraid. 21 If God cut away those natural branches, couldn't he do the same to you?
22 Now you see both how kind and how hard God can be. He was hard on those who fell, but he was kind to you. And he will keep on being kind to you, if you keep on trusting in his kindness. Otherwise, you will be cut away too.
23 If those other branches will start having faith, they will be made a part of that tree again. God has the power to put them back. 24 After all, it wasn't natural for branches to be cut from a wild olive tree and to be made part of a cultivated olive tree. So it is much more likely that God will join the natural branches back to the cultivated olive tree.
The People of Israel Will Be Brought Back
25 My friends, I don't want you Gentiles to be too proud of yourselves. So I will explain the mystery of what has happened to the people of Israel. Some of them have become stubborn, and they will stay like that until the complete number of you Gentiles has come in. 26 In this way all of Israel will be saved, as the Scriptures say,
“From Zion someone will come
to rescue us.
Then Jacob's descendants
will stop being evil.
27 This is what the Lord
has promised to do
when he forgives their sins.”
28 The people of Israel are treated as God's enemies, so the good news can come to you Gentiles. But they are still the chosen ones, and God loves them because of their famous ancestors. 29 God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.
30 At one time you Gentiles rejected God. But now Israel has rejected God, and you have been shown mercy. 31 And because of the mercy shown to you, they will also be shown mercy. 32 All people have disobeyed God, and that's why he treats them as prisoners. But he does this, so that he can have mercy on all of them.
33 Who can measure the wealth and wisdom and knowledge of God? Who can understand his decisions or explain what he does?
34 “Has anyone known
the thoughts of the Lord
or given him advice?
35 Has anyone loaned
something to the Lord
that must be repaid?”
36 Everything comes from the Lord. All things were made because of him and will return to him. Praise the Lord forever! Amen.
Israēla atlikums pēc žēlastības
1 Tad nu es jautāju: vai Dievs savu tautu ir atstūmis? Nu, protams, ne! Jo arī es esmu israēlietis, Ābrahāma pēcnācējs, no Benjāmina cilts. 2 Dievs nav atstūmis savu tautu, ko viņš jau iepriekš izredzējis. Vai tad jūs nezināt, ko Raksti saka par Eliju, kā viņš žēlojas Dievam par Israēlu: 3 Kungs, tavus praviešus viņi ir nokāvuši, tavus altārus izpostījuši, un es esmu viens pats palicis, un tie meklē pēc manas dvēseles. 4 Bet kāda ir dievišķā atbilde viņam? – Es esmu sev paturējis septiņus tūkstošus vīru, kas savus ceļus nav locījuši Baalam! 5 Tā arī šajā laikā ir kāds atlikums, kas žēlastībā izredzēts, – 6 ja žēlastībā, tad ne no darbiem, citādi žēlastība vairs nebūtu žēlastība. 7 Un ko nu? Pēc kā Israēls dzenas – to viņš nav sasniedzis, tikai izredzētie to sasnieguši, pārējo sirdis tika nocietinātas, 8 gluži kā rakstīts:
Dievs tiem ir devis truluma garu,
acis, lai tie neredzētu,
un ausis, lai tie nedzirdētu, –
līdz pat šai dienai.
9 Un Dāvids saka:
lai viņu mielasts kļūst tiem par cilpu un slazdu,
par piedauzību un par atmaksu!
10 Lai viņu acis ir aptumšotas, tā ka tie neredz,
un viņu muguras lai vienmēr ir saliektas!
Pestīšana pagāniem
11 Tad es jautāju: vai tie nav paklupuši, lai kristu pavisam? Nu, protams, ne! Bet caur viņu krišanu pestīšana ir tikusi pagāniem, lai Israēlu darītu greizsirdīgu. 12 Bet, ja viņu krišana ir pasaulei bagātība un viņu zaudējums – bagātība pagāniem, cik lielāka bagātība – viņu pilnums. 13 Jums, pagāniem, es saku: tā kā esmu pagānu apustulis, es turu godā savu kalpošanu, 14 lai, cerams, darītu greizsirdīgus tos, kas ir manējie pēc miesas, un lai izglābtu dažus no viņiem. 15 Ja jau viņu atmešana ir pasaulei izlīgums, kas gan cits būs viņu pieņemšana, ja ne mirušo atdzīvošanās? 16 Ja pirmā raža ir svēta, tad arī visa mīkla, un, ja sakne ir svēta, tad arī zari. 17 Ja daži zari ir nolauzti, bet tu, zars no savvaļas olīvkoka, uzpotēts to vietā, esi saņēmis daļu no dārza olīvkoka saknes treknuma, 18 tad nelielies citu zaru priekšā; bet, ja lielies, tad zini: nevis tu nes sakni, bet sakne – tevi! 19 Tu gan sacīsi: zari tika nolauzti, lai es tiktu uzpotēts. 20 Tas tiesa! Neticības dēļ tie tika nolauzti, bet tu stāvi ticības dēļ. Neesi tādēļ augstprātīgs, bet esi bijīgs! 21 Ja Dievs nav taupījis dabīgos zarus, viņš arī tevi var nesaudzēt. 22 Redzi, kāda ir Dieva laipnība un Dieva bardzība! Pret tiem, kas krituši, ir Dieva bardzība, pret tevi – Dieva laipnība, ja vien tu tajā neatlaidīgi paliec; citādi arī tevi nocirtīs! 23 Un arī viņi, ja nepaliks neticībā, tiks uzpotēti; jo Dievs spēj viņus uzpotēt no jauna. 24 Ja jau tu esi nocirsts no olīvkoka, kas pēc dabas ir savvaļas, un pret savu dabu uzpotēts dārza olīvkokam, cik gan vairāk tie tiks uzpotēti savā pašu olīvkokā.
Viss Israēls tiks izglābts
25 Es, brāļi, negribu jūs atstāt neziņā par šo noslēpumu, lai jūs paši sev neliktos gudri: daļa Israēla ir tikusi nocietināta līdz laikam, kad visas tautas būs nākušas pie Dieva. 26 Un tā tiks izglābts viss Israēls, kā ir rakstīts:
glābējs nāks no Ciānas,
viņš novērsīs bezdievību no Jēkaba.
27 Un šī būs mana derība ar viņiem,
kad būšu atņēmis tiem viņu grēkus.
28 Pēc evaņģēlija viņi ir Dieva ienaidnieki jūsu dēļ, bet pēc izredzētības viņi ir mīļotie tēvu dēļ. 29 Dieva žēlastības dāvanas un aicinājums ir negrozāms. 30 Jo, tāpat kā jūs reiz bijāt nepaklausīgi Dievam un tagad esat apžēloti viņu nepaklausības dēļ, 31 tā arī tagad šie ir nepaklausīgi, lai jūs tiktu apžēloti un arī viņi paši reiz tiktu apžēloti. 32 Dievs visus ir saslēdzis nepaklausībā, lai visus apžēlotu. 33 Kāds Dieva bagātības un gudrības, un atziņas dziļums! Cik neizprotamas ir viņa tiesas un neizdibināmi ir viņa ceļi!
34 Kas gan ir izzinājis Kunga prātu,
kas viņam ir bijis padomdevējs;
35 kas viņam jebkad ko ir devis,
ka viņam būtu jāatlīdzina.
36 Jo no viņa un caur viņu, un uz viņu ir viss; viņam ir gods mūžīgi! Āmen!
