World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 12
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Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his first of all, "Beware of the of the , which is . But there is nothing covered up that will not be , nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in will be heard in . What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. "I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him who after he has killed, has to cast into . Yes, I tell you, fear him. "Aren't five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by . But the very hairs of your head are all counted. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. "I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, will also before the of ; but he who denies me in the of men will be denied in the of . Everyone who speaks a word against will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the , the , and the , don't be anxious how or what you will answer or what you will say; for will teach you in that same hour what you must say." One of said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the with me." But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?" He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses." He spoke to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly. He reasoned within himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I don't have room to store my crops?' He said, 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell , ", you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry."' "But said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?' So is he who lays up for himself, and is not rich toward ." He said to his , "Therefore I tell you, don't be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! Which of you by being anxious can add a to his height? If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even in all his was not arrayed like one of these. But if this is how clothes the grass in the field, which today exists and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little ? "Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious. For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your knows that you need these things. But seek Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you. "Don't be afraid, little flock, for it is your good pleasure to give you . Sell what you have and give gifts to . Make for yourselves purses which don't grow old, a in that doesn't fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your is, there will be also. "Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning. Be like men watching for their when he returns from the , that when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him. are those servants whom will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will dress himself, make them recline, and will come and them. They will be if he comes in the second or third watch and finds them so. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready also, for is coming in an hour that you don't expect him." said to him, ", are you telling this to us, or to everybody?" said, "Who then is the and steward, whom his will set over his household, to give them their of food at the right times? 43 is that servant whom his will find doing so when he comes. Truly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. But if that servant says in , 'My delays his coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and to be drunken, then of that servant will come in a day when he isn't expecting him and in an hour that he doesn't know, and will cut him in two, and place his with the . That servant who knew his will, and didn't prepare nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes, but he who didn't know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whomever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked. "I came to throw on the earth. I wish it were already kindled. But I have a to be with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division. For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. They will be divided, against son, and son against ; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." He said to the also, "When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens. When a south wind blows, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens. You ! You know how to the appearance of the earth and , but how is it that you don't this time? "Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right? For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will by no means get out of there until you have paid the very last ."
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.