World English Bible · Under Rome
Luke 8
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Soon afterwards, he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the of Kingdom. With him were the twelve, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: who was called Magdalene, from whom seven had gone out; and , the wife of Chuzas, steward; ; and many others who them from their possessions. When a great multitude came together and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by : "The farmer went out to sow . As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of devoured it. Some fell on , and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Some fell amid the , and the grew with it and choked it. Some fell into the good ground and grew and produced one hundred times as much fruit." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then his asked him, "What does this mean?" He said, "To you it is given to know the of Kingdom, but to the rest it is given , that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' "Now the is this: The is the word of . Those along the road are those who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their , that they may not and be . Those on are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root. They for a while, then fall away in time of . What fell among the , these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life; and they bring no fruit to maturity. Those in the good ground, these are those who with an honest and good , having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produce fruit with . "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see . For nothing is hidden that will not be , nor anything secret that will not be known and come to . Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has." His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the . Some people told him, "Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you." But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of and do it." Now on one of those days, he entered into a boat, himself and his , and he said to them, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they launched out. But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water. They came to him and awoke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are dying!" He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water; then they ceased, and it was calm. He said to them, "Where is your ?" Being afraid, they marveled, saying to one another, "Who is this then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they him?" Then they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite . When stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn't live in a house, but in the . When he saw , he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, "What do I have to do with you, , you Son of ? I beg you, don't torment me!" For was commanding the to come out of the man. For the had often seized the man. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bonds apart, he was driven by the into . asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many had entered into him. They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss. Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. Then he allowed them. The came out of the man and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to and found the man from whom the had gone out, sitting at ' feet, clothed and in his right ; and they were afraid. Those who saw it told them how he who had been by was healed. All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. Then he entered into the boat and returned. But the man from whom the had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but sent him away, saying, "Return to your house, and declare what great things has done for you." He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things had done for him. When returned, welcomed him, for they were all for him. Behold, a man named came. He was a ruler of the . He fell down at ' feet and begged him to come into his house, for he had an only born daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the pressed against him. A woman who had a flow of for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians and could not be healed by any, came behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her stopped. said, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, and those with him said, "Master, the press and jostle you, and you say, 'Who touched me?'" But said, "Someone did touch me, for I perceived that has gone out of me." When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him declared to him in the of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. He said to her, "Daughter, cheer up. Your has made you well. Go in peace." While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the house came, saying to him, "Your daughter is . Don't trouble the Teacher." But hearing it, answered him, "Don't be afraid. Only , and she will be healed." When he came to the house, he didn't allow anyone to enter in, except , , , of the child, and her mother. All were weeping and her, but he said, "Don't weep. She isn't , but sleeping." They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was . But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, "Child, arise!" Her returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat. Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.
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.