World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 11
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When he finished praying in a certain place, one of his said to him, ", teach us to , as also taught his ." He said to them, "When you , say, ' in , may your name be kept . May your Kingdom come. May your will be done on earth, as it is in . Give us day by day our daily bread. Forgive us our , for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into , but us from the evil one.'" He said to them, "Which of you, if you go to a friend at midnight and tell him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him,' and he from within will answer and say, 'Don't bother me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give it to you'? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he needs. "I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won't give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won't give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your give to those who ask him?" He was casting out a , and it was mute. When the had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out by , the prince of the ." Others, him, sought from him a sign from . But he, knowing their , said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against itself falls. If also is divided against himself, how will stand? For you say that I by . But if I by , by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I by finger , then Kingdom has come to you. "When the strong man, fully armed, guards his own dwelling, his goods are safe. But when someone stronger attacks him and overcomes him, he takes from him his whole armor in which he trusted, and divides his plunder. "He who is not with me is against me. He who doesn't gather with me scatters. The , when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will to my house from which I came out.' When he returns, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first." It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of lifted up her voice and said to him, " is the that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!" But he said, "On the contrary, are those who hear the word of , and keep it." When the were gathering together to him, he began to say, "This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of the . For even as became a sign to the Ninevites, so will also be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up in the with the men of this generation and will condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the of ; and behold, one greater than is here. The men of will stand up in the with this generation, and will condemn it, for they at the preaching of ; and behold, one greater than is here. "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, that those who come in may see . The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of ; but when it is evil, your body also is full of . Therefore see whether that is in you isn't . If therefore your whole body is full of , having no part dark, it will be wholly full of , as when the lamp with its bright shining gives you ." Now as he spoke, a certain asked him to dine with him. He went in and sat . When the saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed himself before dinner. said to him, "Now you cleanse the outside of and of the platter, but your inward part is full of extortion and wickedness. You foolish ones, didn't he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for gifts to those things which are within, and behold, all things will be clean to you. But woe to you ! For you mint and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and love. You ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Woe to you ! For you love the best seats in the and the greetings in the marketplaces. Woe to you, and , ! For you are like hidden , and the men who walk over them don't know it." One of the answered him, "Teacher, in saying this you insult us also." He said, "Woe to you also! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won't even lift one finger to help carry those burdens. Woe to you! For you build the of , and your fathers killed them. So you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their . Therefore also the of said, 'I will send to them and ; and some of them they will kill and persecute, that of all , which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, from of to of Zachariah, who between the and .' Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation. Woe to you ! For you took away the key of knowledge. You didn't enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in, you hindered." As he said these things to them, the and the began to be terribly angry, and to draw many things out of him, lying in wait for him, and seeking to catch him in something he might say, that they might accuse him.
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.