1 Pēc visa tā es jautāju: Vai Dievs savu tautu ir atstūmis? Nepavisam ne. Jo arī es esmu israēlietis, Ābrahāma dzimuma, Benjamīna cilts.
2 Dievs nav atstūmis savu tautu, ko viņš jau iepriekš bija izredzējis. Jeb vai jūs nezināt, kas rakstīts par Eliju, kā viņs apsūdz Israēlu Dievam:
3 „Kungs, tavus praviešus viņi ir nokāvuši, tavus altājrus izpostījuši, tā ka es viens esmu palicis, un nu tie tīko pēc manas dzīvības.“
4 Bet ko viņam atbild Dieva balss: „Es esmu sev atlicinājis septiņus tūkstošus, kas savus ceļus nav locījuši Baala priekšā!“
5 Gluži tāpat arī šinī laikā ir palicis pāri mazs atlikums pēc Dieva žēlastības izvēles.
6 Bet ja pēc žēlastības—tad nav vairs pašu nopelna, citādi žēlastība vairs nebūtu žēlastība.
7 Kas no tā izriet? —Pēc kā Israēls tiecas, to viņš nav sasniedzis, tikai Dieva izvēlētie to ir sasnieguši, bet pārējo sirdis ir tikušas apcietinātas,
8 Kā ir rakstīts: „Dievs viņiem devis truluma garu, acis, lai tie neredzētu, un ausis, lai tie nedzirdētu, līdz pat šai dienai.“
9 Un Dāvids saka: „Viņu bagāti klātais galds viņiem kļūs par slazdu un cilpu, par krišanas un soda iemeslu.
10 Viņu acis tiks aptumšotas, ka viņi vairs neredzēs, un viņu muguras būs saliektas vienumēr.“
11 Es jautāju tālāk: vai viņi paklupuši, lai ietu bojā? Nebūt ne: Ar viņu apgrēcību pestīšana nākusi pie pagānu tautām, lai viņus pamudinātu uz sacensību.
12 Bet ja jau viņu apgrēcība ir pasaulei ieguvums, un viņu iztrūkums—ieguvums pagānu tautām, cik daudz vairāk viņu pilnais skaits.
13 Jums es to saku, nejūdiem. Par cik esmu pagānu tautu apustulis, es turu godā savu darbu,
14 Cerēdams mudināt uz sacensību savus ciltsbrāļus un dažus viņu starpā glābt.
15 Jo, ja jau viņu atmešana devusi pasaulei salīdzināšanu, ko citu dos viņu pieņemšana kā dzīvību mirušiem?
16 Ja jau pirmais guvums ir svēts, tad arī visa mikla, un, ja sakne ir svēta, tad arī zari.
17 Bet ja nu daži zari izlauzti un tu, meža eļļaskoka atvase būdams, esi uzpotēts viņu vietā un dabūjis daļu pie eļļaskoka saknes un taukuma,
18 Tad nelielies zaru priekšā; bet ja lielies, zini: ne tu nesi sakni, bet sakne nes tevi!
19 Tu varbūt iebildīsi: zari izlauzti, lai es tiktu uzpotēts.
20 Pareizi, savas neticības dēļ tie izlauzti, bet tu turies ar savu ticību. Tāpēc neesi iedomīgs, bet pilns bijības!
21 Jo, ja Dievs nav taupījis dabīgos zarus, viņš arī tevi netaupīs!
22 Redzi šeit kopā: Dieva laipnību un bardzību! Bardzību pret tiem, kas krituši, laipnību—pret tevi, ja tu tikai paliksi uzticīgs šai laipnībai; citādi arī tevi izcirtis!
23 Viņi turpretim, ja viņi nepaliks savā neticībā, tiks iepotēti. Jo Dievs viņus spēj atkal iepotēt.
24 Jo, ja tu no sava dabīgā celma—meža eļļaskoka—esi izcirsts un pret savu dabu esi iepotēts dārza eļļaskokā, cik daudz vieglāk šie, kas pēc savas dabas jau viņam pieder, var tikt iepotēti savā pašu eļļaskokā!
25 Es jūs, brāļi, negribu atstāt neziņā par šo noslēpuma, lai jūs nekļūtu pašgudri, proti, ka vienai Israēla daļai sirds tikusi nocietināta, līdz kamēr pasaules tautas visā pilnībā būs iegājušas.
26 Un tādā kārtā viss Israēls tiktu glābts, jo ir rakstīts: „No Ciānas nāk glābējs, viņš novērsīs bezdievību no Jēkaba.
27 Un šī būs mana derība ar viņiem, kad es dzēsīšu viņu grēkus.“
28 Kas attiecas uz evaņģēliju, viņi ir Dieva pretinieki—jūsu labā! Bet pēc izvēles—Dieva mīļoti sentēvu dēļ.
29 Jo neatceļami ir Dieva žēlastības lēmumi un viņa aicinājums.
30 Jo, kā jūs kādreiz esat, bijuši nepaklausīgi Dievam, bet tagad viņu nepaklausības dēļ esat piedzīvojuši žēlastību,
31 Gluži tāpat viņi tagad kļuvuši nepaklausīgi jūsu apžēlošanas labā, lai pēc tam paši tiktu apžēloti.
32 Tā Dievs it visus pakļāvis nepaklausībai, lai pār visiem apžēlotos.
33 Kāds Dieva bagātības, gudrības un atziņas dziļums! Cik neizprotamas viņa tiesas un cik neizdibināmi viņa ceļi!
34 Kas gan ir izpratis Dieva prātu, kas ir bijis viņa padoma devējs?
35 Jeb kas viņam ko iepriekš devis, par ko nāktos atmaksa?
36 No viņa, caur viņu, uz viņu visas lietas. Viņam lai gods mūžīgi! Amen.
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.
