King James Version · Under Rome
Luke 12
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In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his first of all, Beware ye of the of the , which is . For there is nothing covered, that shall not be ; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken shall be heard in ; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before ? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall me before men, him shall also before the of : But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the of . And whosoever shall speak a word against , it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the , and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to , , thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up for himself, and is not rich toward . And he said unto his , Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have nor barn; and feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one ? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that in all his was not arrayed like one of these. If then so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little ? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful . For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye of ; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your ’s good pleasure to give you . Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a in that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your is, there will be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their , when he will return from the ; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. are those servants, whom when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then said unto him, , speakest thou this unto us, or even to all? And said, Who then is that and steward, whom his shall make ruler over his household, to give them their of meat in due season? 43 is that servant, whom his when he cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. But and if that servant say in , My delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his ’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. I am come to send on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a to be with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. shall be divided against the son, and the son against ; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye , ye can discern the of and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in , give diligence that thou mayest be from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. 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.