²⁰ and if the Lord did not shorten the days, no flesh had been saved; but because of the chosen, whom He did choose to Himself, He did shorten the days.

⁸ Thus said Jehovah: As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one hath said, `Destroy it not for a blessing `is' in it,' So I do for My servants' sake, not to destroy the whole.

⁹ And I have brought out from Jacob a seed, And from Judah a possessor of My mount, And possess it do My chosen ones, And My servants do dwell there.

⁸ And it hath come to pass, In all the land, an affirmation of Jehovah, Two parts in it are cut off -- they expire, And the third is left in it.

⁹ And I have brought the third into fire, And refined them like a refining of silver, And have tried them like a trying of gold, It doth call in My name, and I answer it, I have said, `My people it `is',' And it saith, `Jehovah `is' my God!'

²² And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but because of the chosen, shall those days be shortened.

²⁸ As regards, indeed, the good tidings, `they are' enemies on your account; and as regards the choice -- beloved on account of the fathers;

²⁹ for unrepented of `are' the gifts and the calling of God;

³⁰ for as ye also once did not believe in God, and now did find kindness by the unbelief of these:

³¹ so also these now did not believe, that in your kindness they also may find kindness;

³² for God did shut up together the whole to unbelief, that to the whole He might do kindness.

⁹ Unless Jehovah of Hosts had left to us a remnant, Shortly -- as Sodom we had been, To Gomorrah we had been like!

¹³ And yet in it a tenth, and it hath turned, And hath been for a burning, As a teil-tree, and as an oak, that in falling, Have substance in them, The holy seed `is' its substance!'

⁵ So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been;

⁶ and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.

⁷ What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,

²³ And those also, if they may not remain in unbelief, shall be graffed in, for God is able again to graff them in;

²⁴ for if thou, out of the olive tree, wild by nature, wast cut out, and, contrary to nature, wast graffed into a good olive tree, how much rather shall they, who `are' according to nature, be graffed into their own olive tree?