ESV Hear the Word Audio Bible

Living Water Bible - ESV Music Project by Lutheran Bible Translators

<div class="version vid59 iso6393eng" data-vid="59" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkROM">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="ROM.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">The Remnant of Israel</div><div class="p"> 1I ask, then, #1 Sam. 12:22; Jer. 31:37; 33:24 has God rejected his people? By no means! For #2 Cor. 11:22; Phil. 3:5I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham,#11:1 Or one of the offspring of Abraham a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2#Ps. 94:14 God has not rejected his people whom he #ch. 8:29foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3#Cited from 1 Kgs. 19:10, 14&#8220;Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.&#8221; 4But what is God&#8217;s reply to him? #Cited from 1 Kgs. 19:18&#8220;I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.&#8221; 5So too at the present time there is #ch. 9:27; [Jer. 3:14; Zech. 13:8]a remnant, chosen by grace. 6#[ch. 4:4; Deut. 9:4, 5]But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.</div><div class="p"> 7What then? #See ch. 9:31 Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest #[ver. 25]were hardened, 8as it is written,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> # 
 Isa. 29:10 &#8220;God gave them a spirit of stupor,</div><div class="q2"> # 
 Deut. 29:4; [Isa. 43:8; Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2; Eph. 4:18]; See Matt. 13:14 eyes that would not see</div><div class="q2">and ears that would not hear,</div><div class="q1">down to this very day.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 9And David says,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> # Cited from Ps. 69:22, 23 &#8220;Let their table become a snare and a trap,</div><div class="q2">a stumbling block and a retribution for them;</div><div class="q1"> 10let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,</div><div class="q2">and bend their backs forever.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Gentiles Grafted In</div><div class="p"> 11So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass #[Acts 28:28]salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion#11:12 Greek their fullness mean!</div><div class="p"> 13Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as #ch. 15:16; [Acts 26:17]; See Acts 9:15I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and #1 Cor. 7:16; 9:22; 1 Tim. 4:16; James 5:20thus save some of them. 15For if their rejection means #ch. 5:11the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16#Num. 15:18-21; Neh. 10:37; Ezek. 44:30If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.</div><div class="p"> 17But if #Jer. 11:16; [Ps. 52:8; John 15:2] some of the branches were broken off, and you, #[Eph. 2:12]although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root#11:17 Greek root of richness; some manuscripts richness of the olive tree, 18do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19Then you will say, &#8220;Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.&#8221; 20That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you #1 Cor. 10:12; 2 Cor. 1:24 stand fast through faith. So #ch. 12:3, 16; 1 Tim. 6:17 do not become proud, but #Prov. 28:14; Isa. 66:2, 5; Jer. 44:10; Phil. 2:12fear. 21For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God&#8217;s kindness to you, #1 Cor. 15:2; Heb. 3:6, 14 provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise #[John 15:2]you too will be cut off. 23And #2 Cor. 3:16even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.</div><div class="s1">The Mystery of Israel&#8217;s Salvation</div><div class="p"> 25 # ch. 12:16 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers:#11:25 Or brothers and sisters #2 Cor. 3:14; [ver. 7] a partial hardening has come upon Israel, #[Rev. 7:9]; See Luke 21:24until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> # Cited from Isa. 59:20, 21; [John 4:22; Heb. 8:8-12] &#8220;The Deliverer will come #Ps. 14:7; 53:6from Zion,</div><div class="q2">he will banish ungodliness from Jacob&#8221;;</div><div class="q1"> 27&#8220;and this will be my #See ch. 9:4 covenant with them</div><div class="q2"> # 
 Isa. 27:9; [Heb. 8:12] when I take away their sins.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 28As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are #ch. 9:5; Deut. 7:8; 10:15beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29For the gifts and #See ch. 8:28the calling of God are irrevocable. 30For just as #Eph. 2:2, 3, 11, 13; Col. 1:21; 3:7; Titus 3:3you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now#11:31 Some manuscripts omit now receive mercy. 32For God #See ch. 3:9has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.</div><div class="p"> 33Oh, the depth of the riches and #Col. 2:3; [Ps. 139:6; Eph. 3:10] wisdom and knowledge of God! #Deut. 29:29How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 34&#8220;For #Isa. 40:13; 1 Cor. 2:16; [Job 15:8] who has known the mind of the Lord,</div><div class="q2">or #Job 36:22, 23who has been his counselor?&#8221;</div><div class="q1"> 35&#8220;Or #Job 35:7; 41:11who has given a gift to him</div><div class="q2">that he might be repaid?&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="m"> 36For #1 Cor. 8:6; 11:12; Col. 1:16; [Heb. 2:10] from him and through him and to him are all things. #ch. 16:27; Eph. 3:21; Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 1 Pet. 4:11; 2 Pet. 3:18; Jude 25; Rev. 1:6; 5:13To him be glory forever. Amen.</div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 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.
What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”

And David says,

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

So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion,
he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;
“and this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”

As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Listen to Romans 11