World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 22
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
answered and spoke to them again , saying, " of is like a certain king, who made a for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the , but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the !"' But they made of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest grabbed his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those , and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, 'The is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the .' Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The was filled with guests. "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn't have on clothing, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing clothing?' He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer . That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.' For many are called, but few chosen." Then the went and how they might entrap him in his talk. They sent their to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach of in truth, no matter whom you teach; for you aren't partial to anyone. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to , or not?" But perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you me, you ? Show me the tax money." They brought to him a . He asked them, "Whose is this and inscription?" They said to him, "." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the things that are , and to the things that are ." When they heard it, they marveled, and left him and went away. On that day (those who say that there is no ) came to him. They asked him, saying, "Teacher, said, 'If a man dies, having , his brother shall marry his wife and raise up for his brother.' Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and , and having no left his wife to his brother. 26In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh. 27After them all, the woman . 28In the therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her." But answered them, "You are mistaken, not knowing , nor the of . For in the they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like in . But concerning the of , haven't you read that which was spoken to you by , saying, 'I am the of , and the of , and the of '? is not the of , but of the living." When the heard it, they were astonished at his teaching. But the , when they heard that he had silenced the , gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, him. "Teacher, which is the greatest in ?" said to him, "'You shall love your with all , with all your , and with all .' 38This is the first and great . A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' and depend on these two ." Now while the were gathered together, asked them a question, saying, "What do you think of ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "Of ." He said to them, "How then does in call him , saying, ' said to my , sit on my , until I make your a for your feet'? "If then calls him , how is he his son?" No one was able to answer him a word, neither did any man dare ask him any more questions from that day forward.
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.