World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 6
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"Be careful that you don't do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your who is in . Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don't sound a before yourself, as the do in the and in the streets, that they may get from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you do merciful deeds, don't let your left hand know what your does, so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your who sees in secret will reward you openly. "When you , you shall not be as the , for they love to stand and in the and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you , enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, to your who is in secret; and your who sees in secret will reward you openly. In praying, don't use repetitions as the do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore don't be like them, for your knows what things you need before you ask him. like this: "' in , may your name be kept . Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in . Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Bring us not into , but us from the evil one. For yours is , the , and the . .' "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive men their trespasses, neither will your forgive your trespasses. "Moreover when you , don't be like the , with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces that they may be seen by men to be . Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. But you, when you , anoint your head and wash your , so that you are not seen by men to be , but by your who is in secret; and your , who sees in secret, will reward you. "Don't lay up for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves in , where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your is, there will be also. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of . But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of . If therefore that is in you is , how great is ! "No one can two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't both and Mammon. Therefore I tell you, don't be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? See the birds of , that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they? "Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even in all his was not dressed like one of these. But if so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won't he much more clothe you, you of little ? "Therefore don't be anxious, saying, 'What will we eat?', 'What will we drink?' or, 'With what will we be clothed?' For the seek after all these things; for your knows that you need all these things. But seek first Kingdom and his ; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient.
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.