World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 7
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into . A certain servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of . When he heard about , he sent to him of the , asking him to come and his servant. When they came to , they begged him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy for you to do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built our for us." went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, ", don't trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. Therefore I didn't even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man placed under , having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another, 'Come!' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to who followed him, "I tell you, I have not found such great , no, not in Israel." Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well. 11Soon afterwards, he went to a city called . Many of his , along with a great multitude, went with him. Now when he came near to the , behold, one who was was carried out, the only born son of his mother, and she was a . Many people of the city were with her. When saw her, he had on her and said to her, "Don't cry." He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" He who was sat up and began to speak. Then he gave him to his mother. Fear took hold of all, and they glorified , saying, "A great has arisen among us!" and, " has visited his people!" This report went out concerning him in the whole of and in all the surrounding region. of told him about all these things. , calling to himself two of his , sent them to , saying, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?" When the men had come to him, they said, " has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?'" In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and to many who were blind he gave sight. answered them, "Go and tell the things which you have seen and heard: that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the are cleansed, the deaf hear, are up, and have preached to them. is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me." When had departed, he began to tell the about , "What did you go out into to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed and live delicately are in kings' courts. But what did you go out to see? A ? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a . This is he of whom , 'Behold, I send before your , who will prepare your way before you.' "For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater than ; yet he who is least in Kingdom is greater than he." When all the people and the heard this, they declared to be , having been with . But the and the rejected the of , not being by him themselves. "To what then should I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, saying, 'We piped to you, and you didn't dance. We mourned, and you didn't weep.' For came neither eating bread nor drinking , and you say, 'He has a .' has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of and !' is by all her children." One of the invited him to eat with him. He entered into the house and sat . Behold, a woman in the city who was a , when she knew that he was in the house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and them with the ointment. Now when the who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "This man, if he were a , would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a ." answered him, ", I have something to tell you." He said, "Teacher, say on." "A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred , and the other fifty. When they couldn't pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?" answered, "He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most." He said to him, "You have judged correctly." Turning to the woman, he said to , "Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You didn't anoint my head with oil, but she has my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her , which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." He said to her, "Your are forgiven." Those who sat with him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives ?" He said to the woman, "Your has you. Go in peace."
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.