Because, not having knowledge of God's righteousness, and desiring to give effect to their righteousness, they have not put themselves under the righteousness of God.

Then I will give no answer to their cries; searching for me early, they will not see me:

Do your best to go in by the narrow door, for I say to you, A number will make the attempt to go in, but will not be able to do so.

For you have knowledge that even long after, when he was desiring the blessing for his heritage, he was turned away, though he made his request frequently and with weeping; because the past might not be changed.

But the election

In the same way, there are at this present time some who are marked out by the selection of grace.

And we are conscious that all things are working together for good to those who have love for God, and have been marked out by his purpose.

And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,

Even as he made selection of us in him from the first, so that we might be holy and free from all evil before him in love:

But it is right for us to give praise to God at all times for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because it was the purpose of God from the first that you might have salvation, being made holy by the Spirit and by faith in what is true:

Who, through the purpose of God, have been made holy by the Spirit, disciples of Jesus, made clean by his blood: May you have grace and peace in full measure.

And the rest

Make the hearts of this people fat, and let their ears be stopped, and their eyes shut; for fear that they may see with their eyes, and be hearing with their ears, and their heart may become wise, and they may be turned to me and made well.

They have no knowledge or wisdom; for he has put a veil over their eyes, so that they may not see; and on their hearts, so that they may not give attention.

And for them the words of Isaiah have come true, Though you give ear, you will not get knowledge; and seeing, you will see, but the sense will not be clear to you:

He has made their eyes blind, and their hearts hard; for fear that they might see with their eyes and get knowledge with their hearts, and be changed, and I might make them well.

But their minds were made hard: for to this very day at the reading of the old agreement the same veil is still unlifted; though it is taken away in Christ.

Because the god of this world has made blind the minds of those who have not faith, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not be shining on them.

And with every deceit of wrongdoing among those whose fate is destruction; because they were quite without that love of the true faith by which they might have salvation.

Blinded

So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.

General references

But even to this day the Lord has not given you a mind open to knowledge, or seeing eyes or hearing ears.

They did not see that his words were about the Father.