9. And David says:“May they be caught and trapped at their feasts;may they fall, may they be punished!
10. May their eyes be blinded so that they cannot see;and make them bend under their troubles at all times.”
11. I ask, then: when the Jews stumbled, did they fall to their ruin? By no means! Because they sinned, salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make the Jews jealous of them.
12. The sin of the Jews brought rich blessings to the world, and their spiritual poverty brought rich blessings to the Gentiles. Then, how much greater the blessings will be when the complete number of Jews is included!
13. I am speaking now to you Gentiles: as long as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I will take pride in my work.
14. Perhaps I can make the people of my own race jealous, and so be able to save some of them.
15. For when they were rejected, the human race was changed from God's enemies into his friends. What will it be, then, when they are accepted? It will be life for the dead!
16. If the first piece of bread is given to God, then the whole loaf is his also; and if the roots of a tree are offered to God, the branches are his also.
17. Some of the branches of the cultivated olive tree have been broken off, and a branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to it. You Gentiles are like that wild olive tree, and now you share the strong spiritual life of the Jews.
18. So then, you must not despise those who were broken off like branches. How can you be proud? You are just a branch; you don't support the roots — the roots support you.
19. But you will say, “Yes, but the branches were broken off to make room for me.”
20. That is true. They were broken off because they did not believe, while you remain in place because you do believe. But do not be proud of it; instead, be afraid.
21. God did not spare the Jews, who are like natural branches; do you think he will spare you?