World English Bible · Under Rome
2 Corinthians 9
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It is indeed unnecessary for me to write to you concerning the to , for I know your readiness, of which I boast on your behalf to those of , that has been prepared for the past year. Your has stirred up very many of them. But I have sent the brothers so that our boasting on your behalf may not be in in this respect, that, as I said, you may be prepared, lest by any means, if anyone from comes there with me and finds you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) would be disappointed in this confident boasting. I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brothers that they would go before to you and arrange ahead of time the generous gift that you promised before, that the same might be ready as a matter of generosity, and not of greediness. Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in , not grudgingly or under compulsion, for loves a cheerful giver. And is able to make all abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. As , "He has scattered abroad. He has given to . His ." Now may he who supplies to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply for sowing, and increase the fruits of your , you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces to through us. For this of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among , but abounds also through much giving of thanks to , seeing that through the proof given by this , they for the of your to the of Christ and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all, while they themselves also, with on your behalf, yearn for you by reason of the exceeding of in you. Now thanks be to for his unspeakable gift!
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.