World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 23
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Then spoke to the and to his , saying, "The and the sit on ' seat. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don't do their works; for they say, and don't do. For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their broad and enlarge the of their garments, and love the place of at feasts, the best seats in the , the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi, Rabbi' by men. But you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for one is your teacher, , and all of you are brothers. Call no man on the earth your , for one is your , he who is in . 10Neither be called masters, for one is your master, . But he who is greatest among you will be . Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "Woe to you, and , ! For you devour ' houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 14"But woe to you, and , ! Because you shut up of against men; for you don't enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. Woe to you, and , ! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of as yourselves. "Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by , it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of , he is obligated.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or that sanctifies the gold? 18And, 'Whoever swears by the , it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the that sanctifies the gift? 20He therefore who swears by the , swears by it and by everything on it. He who swears by , swears by it and by him who has been living in it. He who swears by , swears by of and by him who sits on it. "Woe to you, and , ! For you mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of : justice, mercy, and . But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! "Woe to you, and , ! For you clean the outside of and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. You blind , first clean the inside of and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also. "Woe to you, and , ! For you are like whitened , which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of men's bones and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear to men, but inwardly you are full of and . "Woe to you, and , ! For you build the of and decorate the of , and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have been partakers with them in of .' Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed . Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You , you of vipers, how will you escape the of ? Therefore, behold, I send to you , men, and . Some of them you will kill and ; and some of them you will scourge in your and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all shed on the earth, from of to of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between and the . Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. ", , who kills and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her , and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ' is he who comes in the name of !'"
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.