World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 5
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Seeing the , he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his came to him. He opened his and taught them, saying, " are in , for theirs is of . are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. are the gentle, for they shall the earth. are those who and thirst for , 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 children of . are those who have been persecuted for ' sake, for theirs is of . " are you when people you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in . For that is how they persecuted who were before you. "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men. "You are of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden. Neither do you a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your shine before men, that they may see your good works and your who is in . "Don't think that I came to destroy or . I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from , until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least and teach others to do so, shall be called least in of ; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in of . For I tell you that unless your exceeds that of the and , there is no way you will enter into of . "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not ;' and 'Whoever murders will be in danger of the .' But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the . Whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' will be in danger of . Whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the of . "If therefore you are your gift at the , and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the , and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on ; lest perhaps the prosecutor you to the judge, and the judge you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last . "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not ;' but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to after her has committed with her already in . If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should than for your whole body to be cast into . If your causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should , than for your whole body to be cast into . "It was also said, 'Whoever shall his wife, let him give her a writing of ,' but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an ; and whoever marries her when she is commits . "Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not make false , but shall perform to your ,' but I tell you, don't at all: neither by , for it is of ; nor by the earth, for it is the of his feet; nor by , for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one. "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your , those who you, do good to those who hate you, and for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your who is in . For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends on the and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the do the same? If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, as your in is perfect.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.