World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 20
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On one of those days, as he was teaching the people in and preaching the , the priests and came to him with the . They asked him, "Tell us: by what do you do these things? Or who is giving you this ?" He answered them, "I also will ask you one question. Tell me: the of , was it from , or from men?" They reasoned with themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From ,' he will say, 'Why didn't you him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that was a ." They answered that they didn't know where it was from. said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what I do these things." He began to tell the people this : "A man planted a and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time. At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the . But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty. He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. 12He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him and threw him out. of the said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.' "But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the . Come, let's kill him, that the may be ours.' Then they threw him out of the and killed him. What therefore will of the do to them? He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the to others." When they heard that, they said, "May that never be!" But he looked at them and said, "Then what is this that is written, 'The stone which the builders rejected was made the '? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to ." The and the sought to lay hands on him that very hour, but they feared the people—for they knew he had spoken this against them. They watched him and sent out spies, who pretended to be , that they might trap him in something he said, so as to him up to the and of the governor. They asked him, "Teacher, we know that you say and teach what is right, and aren't partial to anyone, but truly teach of . Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to , or not?" But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, "Why do you me? Show me a . Whose and inscription are on it?" They answered, "." He said to them, "Then give to the things that are , and to the things that are ." They weren't able to trap him in his words before the people. They marveled at his answer and were silent. Some of the came to him, those who deny that there is a . They asked him, "Teacher, wrote to us that if a man's brother dies having a wife, and he is , his brother should take the wife and raise up children for his brother. There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and . 30The second took her as wife, and he . 31The third took her, and likewise the seven all left , and . Afterward the woman also . Therefore in the whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife." said to them, "The children of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the from neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they can't any more, for they are like the and are children of , being children of the . But that are , even showed at the bush, when he called 'The of , the of , and the of .' Now he is not the of , but of the living, for all are alive to him." Some of the answered, "Teacher, you speak well." They didn't dare to ask him any more questions. He said to them, "Why do they say that is son? himself says in the book of Psalms, ' said to my , "Sit , until I make your the of your feet."' " therefore calls him , so how is he his son?" In the hearing of all the people, he said to his , "Beware of those who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the , and the best places at feasts; who devour ' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation."
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.