World English Bible · Under Rome
Matthew 9
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
He entered into a boat and crossed over, and came into his own city. Behold, they brought to him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a bed. , seeing their , said to the paralytic, "Son, cheer up! Your are forgiven you." Behold, some of the said to themselves, "This man blasphemes." , knowing their , said, "Why do you think evil in your ? For which is easier, to say, 'Your are forgiven;' or to say, 'Get up, and walk'? But that you may know that has on earth to forgive —" (then he said to the paralytic), "Get up, and take up your mat, and go to your house." 7He arose and departed to his house. But when the saw it, they marveled and glorified , who had given such to men. As passed by from there, he saw a man called sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, "Follow me." He got up and followed him. As he sat in the house, behold, many and came and sat down with and his . When the saw it, they said to his , "Why does your teacher eat with and ?" When heard it, he said to them, "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. But you go and learn what this means: 'I mercy, and not ,' for I came not to call , but to ." Then came to him, saying, "Why do we and the often, but your don't ?" said to them, "Can the friends of the mourn as long as the is with them? But the days will come when the will be taken away from them, and then they will . No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made. 17Neither do people put into old wineskins, or else the skins would burst, and the be spilled, and the skins ruined. No, they put into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved." While he told these things to them, behold, a ruler came and him, saying, "My daughter has , but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." got up and followed him, as did his . Behold, a woman who had a discharge of for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; for she said within herself, "If I touch his garment, I will be made well." But , turning around and seeing her, said, "Daughter, cheer up! Your has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. When came into the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the in noisy disorder, he said to them, "Make room, because the girl isn't , but sleeping." They were ridiculing him. But when the was sent out, he entered in, took her by the hand, and the girl arose. The report of this went out into all that land. As passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, "Have mercy on us, !" When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. said to them, "Do you that I am able to do this?" They told him, "Yes, ." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your be it done to you." Then their eyes were opened. strictly commanded them, saying, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land. As they went out, behold, a mute man who was was brought to him. When the was cast out, the mute man spoke. The marveled, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!" But the said, "By the prince of the , he casts out ." went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their and preaching the of , and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. But when he saw the , he was for them because they were harassed and scattered, like sheep without a . Then he said to his , "The harvest indeed is plentiful, but the laborers are few. therefore that of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest."
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.