World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 15
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Now all the and were coming close to him to hear him. The and the murmured, saying, "This man welcomes , and eats with them." 3He told them this : "Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing. When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I tell you that even so there will be more joy in over one who repents, than over ninety-nine people who need no . "Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn't a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost!' Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the of the of over one repenting." 11He said, "A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his , ', give me my share of your property.' So he divided his livelihood between them. Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe in that country, and he began to be in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many hired servants of have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with ! I will get up and go to , and will tell him, ", I have against and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."' "He arose and came to his . But while he was still far off, his saw him and was , and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ', I have against and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let's eat and celebrate; for this, my son, was and is alive again. He was lost and is found.' Then they began to celebrate. "Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26He called one of the servants to him and asked what was going on. He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.' But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his came out and begged him. But he answered his , 'Behold, these many years I have you, and I never disobeyed a of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this your son came, who has devoured your living with , you killed the fattened calf for him.' "He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was , and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'"
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.