Romans 11

New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel

Romans 11

1I say then, has God cast away His people? By no means! For I too am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.Λέγω οὖν, μὴ ἀπώσατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ; Μὴ γένοιτο. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ Ἰσραηλίτης εἰμί, ἐκ σπέρματος Ἁβραάμ, φυλῆς Βενιαμίν.

2God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,Οὐκ ἀπώσατο ὁ Θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὃν προέγνω. Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ἐν Ἠλίᾳ τί λέγει ἡ γραφή; Ὡς ἐντυγχάνει τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, λέγων,

3“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life”?Κύριε, τοὺς προφήτας σου ἀπέκτειναν, καὶ τὰ θυσιαστήριά σου κατέσκαψαν· κἀγὼ ὑπελείφθην μόνος, καὶ ζητοῦσι τὴν ψυχήν μου.

4But what is God's reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ χρηματισμός; Κατέλιπον ἐμαυτῷ ἑπτακισχιλίους ἄνδρας, οἵτινες οὐκ ἔκαμψαν γόνυ τῇ Βάαλ.

5So too then, at this present time, there is also a remnant according to the election of grace.Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ λεῖμμα κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν χάριτος γέγονεν.

6And if by grace, it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.Εἰ δὲ χάριτι, οὐκέτι ἐξ ἔργων· ἐπεὶ ἡ χάρις οὐκέτι γίνεται χάρις. Εἰ δὲ ἐξ ἔργων, οὐκέτι ἐστὶ χάρις· ἐπεὶ τὸ ἔργον οὐκέτι ἐστὶν ἔργον.

7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.Τί οὖν; Ὃ ἐπιζητεῖ Ἰσραήλ, τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέτυχεν, ἡ δὲ ἐκλογὴ ἐπέτυχεν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐπωρώθησαν·

8Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, down to this very day.”καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς πνεῦμα κατανύξεως, ὀφθαλμοὺς τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν, καὶ ὦτα τοῦ μὴ ἀκούειν, ἕως τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας.

9And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a recompense to them.Καὶ Δαυὶδ λέγει, Γενηθήτω ἡ τράπεζα αὐτῶν εἰς παγίδα καὶ εἰς θήραν, καὶ εἰς σκάνδαλον, καὶ εἰς ἀνταπόδομα αὐτοῖς·

10Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever!”σκοτισθήτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν, καὶ τὸν νῶτον αὐτῶν διὰ παντὸς σύγκαμψον.

11I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? By no means! But by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.Λέγω οὖν, μὴ ἔπταισαν ἵνα πέσωσι; Μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλὰ τῷ αὐτῶν παραπτώματι ἡ σωτηρία τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εἰς τὸ παραζηλῶσαι αὐτούς.

12But if their transgression is riches for the world, and their defeat is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be!Εἰ δὲ τὸ παράπτωμα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος κόσμου, καὶ τὸ ἥττημα αὐτῶν πλοῦτος ἐθνῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῶν;

13For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am indeed an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,Ὑμῖν γὰρ λέγω τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Ἐφ᾽ ὅσον μέν εἰμι ἐγὼ ἐθνῶν ἀπόστολος, τὴν διακονίαν μου δοξάζω·

14if somehow I may provoke to jealousy my fellow Jews, and thus save some of them.εἴ πως παραζηλώσω μου τὴν σάρκα, καὶ σώσω τινὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν.

15For if their casting away means reconciliation for the world, what will their acceptance be, if not life from the dead?Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀποβολὴ αὐτῶν καταλλαγὴ κόσμου, τίς ἡ πρόσληψις, εἰ μὴ ζωὴ ἐκ νεκρῶν;

16For if the firstfruit is holy, so also the lump; and if the root is holy, so also the branches.Εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀπαρχὴ ἁγία, καὶ τὸ φύραμα· καὶ εἰ ἡ ῥίζα ἁγία, καὶ οἱ κλάδοι.

17But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and became a partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree,Εἰ δέ τινες τῶν κλάδων ἐξεκλάσθησαν, σὺ δὲ ἀγριέλαιος ὢν ἐνεκεντρίσθης ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ συγκοινωνὸς τῆς ῥίζης καὶ τῆς πιότητος τῆς ἐλαίας ἐγένου,

18do not be arrogant towards the branches. But if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you that supports the root, but the root supports you.μὴ κατακαυχῶ τῶν κλάδων· εἰ δὲ κατακαυχᾶσαι, οὐ σὺ τὴν ῥίζαν βαστάζεις, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ ῥίζα σέ.

19You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”Ἐρεῖς οὖν, Ἐξεκλάσθησαν κλάδοι, ἵνα ἐγὼ ἐγκεντρισθῶ.

20That is true. By unbelief they were broken off, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear.Καλῶς· τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ ἐξεκλάσθησαν, σὺ δὲ τῇ πίστει ἕστηκας. Μὴ ὑψηλοφρόνει, ἀλλὰ φοβοῦ·

21For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps He may not spare you either.εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τῶν κατὰ φύσιν κλάδων οὐκ ἐφείσατο, μήπως οὐδὲ σοῦ φείσεται.

22Behold then the kindness and severity of God: upon those that fell, severity; but upon you, kindness, if you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you also shall be cut off.Ἴδε οὖν χρηστότητα καὶ ἀποτομίαν Θεοῦ· ἐπὶ μὲν τοὺς πεσόντας, ἀποτομίαν· ἐπὶ δὲ σέ, χρηστότητα, ἐὰν ἐπιμείνῃς τῇ χρηστότητι· ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ ἐκκοπήσῃ.

23And they also, if they do not remain in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι δέ, ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ, ἐγκεντρισθήσονται· δυνατὸς γὰρ ὁ Θεός ἐστι πάλιν ἐγκεντρίσαι αὐτούς.

24For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these, the natural ones, be grafted into their own olive tree?Εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐκ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἐξεκόπης ἀγριελαίου, καὶ παρὰ φύσιν ἐνεκεντρίσθης εἰς καλλιέλαιον, πόσῳ μᾶλλον οὗτοι, οἱ κατὰ φύσιν, ἐγκεντρισθήσονται τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐλαίᾳ;

25For I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers, lest you be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.Οὐ γὰρ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ ἦτε παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς φρόνιμοι, ὅτι πώρωσις ἀπὸ μέρους τῷ Ἰσραὴλ γέγονεν, ἄχρις οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθῃ·

26And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer shall come out of Zion, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob;καὶ οὕτω πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται· καθὼς γέγραπται, Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν ὁ ῥυόμενος, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβ·

27For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”καὶ αὕτη αὐτοῖς ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, ὅταν ἀφέλωμαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.

28As regards to the gospel, they are enemies for your sake; but as regards to election, they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.Κατὰ μὲν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἐχθροὶ δι᾽ ὑμᾶς· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκλογήν, ἀγαπητοὶ διὰ τοὺς πατέρας.

29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.Ἀμεταμέλητα γὰρ τὰ χαρίσματα καὶ ἡ κλῆσις τοῦ Θεοῦ.

30For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now you were shown mercy through their disobedience,Ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ὑμεῖς ποτε ἠπειθήσατε τῷ Θεῷ, νῦν δὲ ἠλεήθητε τῇ τούτων ἀπειθείᾳ·

31even so these now were disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also might be shown mercy.οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι νῦν ἠπείθησαν, τῷ ὑμετέρῳ ἐλέει ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθῶσι·

32For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He might show mercy to all.συνέκλεισε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πάντας εἰς ἀπείθειαν, ἵνα τοὺς πάντας ἐλεήσῃ.

33Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable are His ways!Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ. Ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ.

34“For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου; Ἢ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο;

35“Or who has first given to Him, and it shall be repaid to him?”Ἢ τίς προέδωκεν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνταποδοθήσεται αὐτῷ;

36For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things; to Him be the glory forever! Amen.Ὅτι ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα· αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.

The Fathers on Romans 11

Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Romans 11:7

Saint John Chrysostom

Eastern Fathers · c. 391 AD · Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans

“What then?Israel hath not obtained that, which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded.”

Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans →