World English Bible · Under Rome
Romans 2
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Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. We know that the of is according to truth against those who practice such things. Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the of ? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and , not knowing that the goodness of leads you to ? But according to your hardness and unrepentant you are treasuring up for yourself in the , , and of of , who "will pay back to everyone according to their works:" to those who by in well-doing seek for , , and incorruptibility, ; but to those who are self-seeking and don't the truth, but unrighteousness, will be , , , and anguish on every of man who does evil, to the first, and also to the . But , , and peace go to every man who does good, to the first, and also to the . For there is no partiality with . For as many as have without will also without . As many as have will be judged by . For it isn't the hearers of who are before , but the doers of will be (for when who don't have do by nature the things of , these, not having , are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of written in their , their testifying with them, and their among themselves accusing or else excusing them) in the day when will judge the secrets of men, according to my , by . Indeed you bear the name of a , rest on , in , know his will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of , and are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a to those who are , a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babies, having in the form of knowledge and of the truth. You therefore who teach another, don't you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn't steal, do you steal? You who say a man shouldn't , do you ? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who in , do you dishonor by disobeying ? For "the name of is blasphemed among the because of you," as . For indeed profits, if you are a doer of , but if you are a transgressor of , your has become uncircumcision. If therefore the keep the ordinances of , won't his uncircumcision be accounted as ? Won't those who are physically , but fulfill , judge you, who with the letter and are a transgressor of ? For he is not a who is one outwardly, neither is that which is outward in ; but he is a who is one inwardly, and is that of , in , not in the letter; whose is not from men, but from .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- What about those who never hear? · Romans 2:12-16
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.