World English Bible · Under Rome
Mark 3
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He entered again into the , and there was a man there whose hand was withered. They watched him, whether he would heal him on the , that they might accuse him. He said to the man whose hand was withered, "Stand up." He said to them, "Is it lawful on the to do good or to do harm? To a life or to kill?" But they were silent. When he had looked around at them with , being grieved at the hardening of their , he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. The went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. withdrew to the sea with his ; and a great multitude followed him from , from , from , from Idumaea, beyond , and those from around and . A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. He spoke to his that a little boat should stay near him because of the , so that they wouldn't press on him. For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him. The , whenever they saw him, fell down before him and cried, "You are the Son of !" He sternly warned them that they should not make him known. He went up into the mountain and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have to heal sicknesses and to : (to whom he gave the name ); the son of ; and , the brother of , (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder); ; ; ; ; ; , the son of ; ; ; and , who also betrayed him. Then he came into a house. came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, "He is insane." The who came down from said, "He has ," and, "By the prince of the he casts out the ." He summoned them and said to them , "How can cast out ? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26If has up against himself, and is divided, he can't stand, but has an end. But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder unless he first binds the strong man; then he will plunder his house. "Most certainly I tell you, all of the of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; but whoever may blaspheme against never has forgiveness, but is subject to condemnation." —because they said, "He has an ." His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. 32A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, "Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you." He answered them, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of is my brother, my sister, and mother."
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.