World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 13
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Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans whose had mixed with their . answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no, but unless you , you will all in the same way. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in fell and killed them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who in ? I tell you, no, but, unless you , you will all in the same way." He spoke this . "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his , and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. He said to dresser, 'Behold, these three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and found none. Cut it down! Why does it waste the soil?' He answered, ', leave it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit, fine; but if not, after that, you can cut it down.'" He was teaching in one of the on the . Behold, there was a woman who had a of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over and could in no way straighten herself up. When saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." He on her, and immediately she stood up straight and glorified . The ruler of the , being indignant because had healed on the , said to , "There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the !" Therefore answered him, "You ! Doesn't each one of you free his ox or his donkey from the stall on the and lead him away to water? Ought not this woman, being a daughter of whom had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the ?" As he said these things, all his were disappointed; and all rejoiced for all the things that were done by him. He said, "What is Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard which a man took and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of live in its ." 20Again he said, "To what shall I compare Kingdom? It is like , which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened." He went on his way through cities and villages, teaching, and traveling on to . One said to him, ", are they few who are ?" He said to them, "Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able. When once the master of the house has up and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ', , open to us!' then he will answer and tell you, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your , and you taught in our streets.' He will say, 'I tell you, I don't know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of .' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see , , , and all in Kingdom, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in Kingdom. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last." On that same day, some came, saying to him, "Get out of here and go away, for wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission. Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, for it can't be that a would outside of .' ", , you who kills and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her , and you refused! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ' is he who comes in the name of !'"
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.