World English Bible · Under Rome
Hebrews 2
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Therefore we ought to pay greater attention to the things that were heard, lest perhaps we drift away. For if the word spoken through proved steadfast, and every and received a penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a —which at the first having been spoken through , was confirmed to us by those who heard, also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, by various works of , and by gifts of , according to his own will? For he didn't subject the world to come, of which we speak, to . But one has somewhere testified, saying, "What is man, that you think of him? Or , that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the . You him with and . You have put all things in subjection ." For in that he subjected all things to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we don't yet see all things subjected to him. But we see him who has been made a little lower than the , , because of the suffering of with and , that by the of he should taste of for everyone. For it became him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to , to make the author of their perfect through sufferings. For both he who sanctifies and those who are are all from one, for which cause he is not to call them brothers, saying, "I will declare your name to my brothers. Among I will sing your ." Again, "I will put my in him." Again, "Behold, here I am with the children whom has given me." Since then the children have shared in and , he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through he might bring to nothing him who had the of , that is, the devil, and might all of them who through fear of were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For most certainly, he doesn't give help to , but he gives help to the of . Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and in things pertaining to , to make atonement for the of the people. For in that he himself has suffered being , he is able to help those who are .
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.