1 Ek vra dan: Het God miskien sy volk verstoot? Nee, stellig nie! Want ek is ook 'n Israeliet uit die nageslag van Abraham, van die stam van Benjamin.

2 God het sy volk wat Hy vantevore geken het, nie verstoot nie. Of weet julle nie wat die Skrif in die gedeelte oor El¡a sê nie? hoe hy by God optree teen Israel en sê:

3 Here, hulle het u profete gedood en u altare het hulle afgebreek, en ek het alleen oorgebly, en hulle soek my lewe!

4 Maar wat sê die Godspraak aan hom? Ek het vir Myself sewe duisend manne laat oorbly wat die knie voor Ba„l nie gebuig het nie.

5 Net so is daar dan ook in die teenwoordige tyd 'n oorblyfsel, ooreenkomstig die verkiesing van die genade.

6 En as dit deur genade is, dan is dit nie meer uit die werke nie; anders is die genade geen genade meer nie. En as dit uit die werke is, dan is dit nie meer genade nie; anders is die werk geen werk meer nie.

7 Wat dan? Wat Israel soek, dit het hy nie verkry nie; maar die uitverkorenes het dit verkry en die ander is verhard.

8 Soos geskrywe is: God het hulle gegee 'n gees van diepe slaap, oë om nie te sien nie en ore om nie te hoor nie, tot vandag toe.

9 En Dawid sê: Laat hulle tafel vir hulle wees 'n vangnet en 'n strik en 'n struikelblok en 'n vergelding.

10 Laat hulle oë duister word om nie te sien nie, en buig hulle rug vir altyd krom.

11 Ek vra dan: Het hulle miskien gestruikel om te val? Nee, stellig nie! Maar deur hulle val het die saligheid tot die heidene gekom om hulle jaloers te maak.

12 En as hulle val die rykdom van die wêreld is en hulle tekort die rykdom van die heidene, hoeveel te meer sal hulle volheid dit nie wees nie!

13 Want aan julle heidene sê ek: Vir sover as ek 'n apostel van die heidene is, verheerlik ek my bediening

14 as ek tog maar net my eie volk jaloers kan maak en sommige uit hulle kan red!

15 Want as hulle verwerping die versoening van die wêreld is, wat sal hulle aanneming anders wees as lewe uit die dode?

16 En as die eerstelinge heilig is, dan die deeg ook; en as die wortel heilig is, dan die takke ook.

17 En as sommige van die takke afgebreek is, en jy wat 'n wilde olyfboom was, onder hulle ingeënt is en deel gekry het aan die wortel en die vettigheid van die olyfboom,

18 moet dan nie teen die takke roem nie; en as jy roem dit is nie jy wat die wortel dra nie, maar die wortel vir jou.

19 Jy sal dan sê: Die takke is afgebreek, sodat ek ingeënt kon word.

20 Goed! Deur ongeloof is hulle afgebreek, maar jy staan deur die geloof. Moenie hoogmoedig wees nie, maar vrees.

21 Want as God die natuurlike takke nie gespaar het nie, sal Hy miskien jou ook nie spaar nie.

22 Let dan op die goedertierenheid en die gestrengheid van God: gestrengheid oor die wat geval het, maar goedertierenheid oor jou as jy in die goedertierenheid bly; anders sal jy ook afgekap word.

23 Maar ook hulle sal, as hulle nie in die ongeloof bly nie, ingeënt word; want God is magtig om hulle weer in te ent.

24 Want as jy afgekap is van die olyfboom wat van nature wild was, en teen die natuur op die mak olyfboom ingeënt kan word, hoeveel te meer kan hulle dan wat dit van nature is, op hul eie olyfboom ingeënt word?

25 Want ek wil nie hê, broeders, dat julle hierdie verborgenheid nie moet weet nie, sodat julle nie eiewys mag wees nie: dat die verharding ten dele oor Israel gekom het totdat die volheid van die heidene ingegaan het;

26 en so sal die hele Israel gered word, soos geskrywe is: Die Verlosser sal uit Sion kom en sal die goddelooshede van Jakob afwend;

27 en dit is van my kant die verbond met hulle as Ek hulle sondes wegneem.

28 Wat die evangelie betref, is hulle wel vyande ter wille van julle; maar wat die uitverkiesing betref, bemindes ter wille van die vaders.

29 Want die genadegawes en die roeping van God is onberoulik.

30 Want soos julle ook vroeër aan God ongehoorsaam was, maar nou barmhartigheid ontvang het deur hulle ongehoorsaamheid,

31 so het hulle ook nou ongehoorsaam geword deur die barmhartigheid aan julle, sodat hulle ook barmhartigheid kan ontvang.

32 Want God het hulle almal in die ongehoorsaamheid ingesluit om vir almal barmhartig te kan wees.

33 o Diepte van die rykdom en wysheid en kennis van God! Hoe ondeurgrondelik is sy oordele en onnaspeurlik sy weë!

34 Want wie het die gedagte van die Here geken, of wie was sy raadsman gewees?

35 Of wie het eers iets aan Hom gegee, dat dit hom vergeld moet word?

36 Want uit Hom en deur Hom en tot Hom is alle dinge. Syne is die heerlikheid tot in ewigheid. Amen.

1 I say then, Did God cast off his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not cast off his people which he foreknew. Or know ye not what the scripture saith of Elijah? how he pleadeth with God against Israel: 3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have left for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. 7 What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened: 8 according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day. 9 And David saith,

Let their table be made a snare, and a trap,

And a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them:

10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see,

And bow thou down their back always.

11 I say then, Did they stumble that they might fall? God forbid: but by their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 But I speak to you that are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I glorify my ministry; 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy them that are my flesh, and may save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16 And if the firstfruit is holy, so is the lump: and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and thou, being a wild olive, wast grafted in among them, and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree; 18 glory not over the branches: but if thou gloriest, it is not thou that bearest the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. 22 Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God’s goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; 26 and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written,

There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;

He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 And this is my covenant unto them,

When I shall take away their sins.

28 As touching the gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of. 30 For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, 31 even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy. 32 For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.