King James Version · Under Rome
Matthew 5
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And seeing the , he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his came unto him: And he opened his , and taught them, saying, are in : for theirs is of . are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. are the meek: for they shall the earth. are they which do and thirst after : for they shall be filled. are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. are the pure in : for they shall see . are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of . are they which are persecuted for ’ sake: for theirs is of . are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in : for so persecuted they which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth unto all that are in the house. Let your so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and your which is in . Think not that I am come to destroy , or : I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no pass from , till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least , and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in of : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in of . For I say unto you, That except your shall exceed the of the and , ye shall in no case enter into of . Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the : But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the : and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of : but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell . Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the , and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the , and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in with him; lest at any time the adversary thee to the judge, and the judge thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not : But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to after her hath committed with her already in . And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should , and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should , and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to : and whosoever shall marry her that is committeth . Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto thine : But I say unto you, not at all; neither by ; for it is ’s : Nor by the earth; for it is : neither by ; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at , and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your , them that you, do good to them that hate you, and for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your which is in : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth on the and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your which is in is perfect.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Which of God's laws still bind a Christian? · Matthew 5:17-20
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
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.