A fourteenth century English Biblical version, edited by Anna C. Paues ...

[verse 1] And þerfore be ȝe foloweres of God, as his dereste children; [verse 2] & walke ȝe in lofe, as Crist haþ y-lofed ous, & ȝef hym-selfen for ous, an offrynge & a sacryfyce to God in a swet smellynge of softnesse. [verse 3] And fornycacyoun, ne non oþer vnclannesse, ne couetyse, ne be noȝt y-nemyd [nemyd on erasure in a later hand, S. y dampned P. Vulg. nominetur.] among ȝou, as it bysemeþ noȝt [verse 4] goode men; ne non fylþe, ne folye speche, ne harlotrye, þat ne parteneþ noȝt to þe þing: bote raþere þankynges to God. [verse 5] For þis wyte ȝe wel & vnderstondeþ it, þat eferych lecchour [harlotrye repeated in the margin, 1st corr. S.] , oþer [S folio 50b] an vnclene man, oþer a coueytous [P folio 58] man, þat is þe seruyce of false goddes, ne haþ non erytage in þe kyngdom of Crist & of God. [verse 6] No man bygyle ȝou wiþ [wiþ in the margin, 1st corr. S.] weyn wordes: for herfore þe wraþþe of God com in-to þe children of mys|trust. [verse 7] & þerfore ne be ȝe noȝt y-mad partyneres of hem; [verse 8] for ȝe weren derknesse sumtyme, bote ȝe beþ now lyȝt in

oure Lord; & walke ȝe as [a P.] children of lyȝt. [verse 9] For þe fruyt of lyȝt is in eferych goodnesse & ryȝtfulnesse & treuþe. [verse 10] & prefe [verse 11] ȝe what þing is wel plesynge to God: & ne comune ȝe noȝt to þe vnfruytful [vnriȝtful P.] werkes of darknesse, bote raþere vndernymeþ [verse 12] hem; for þilke þinges þat beþ y-don of hem in prifete it is foul forto speke. [verse 13] & alle þilke þinges þat beþ vndernomen of lyȝt, beþ openliche y-schewed: & al þynge þat is y-schewed openlyche is lyȝt. [verse 14] & þerfore he sayþ, Aryse up, þat slepest, & rys [arys P.] þou up from deþ, and Crist wole schyne on þe. [verse 15] And þerfore, bryþeren, loke ȝe how wyslyche ȝe walken, noȝt as [verse 16] vnwyse men, bote as wyse men; forbugge ȝe tyme, for þese dayes beþ yuele. [verse 17] & þerfore ne be ȝe noȝt y-maad vn-redy men, bote vnderstondynge whuche be þe wylle of God. [verse 18] And ne be ȝe noȝt y-maad dronken þoroȝ wyn [hym with the downstroke of the h visible, the rest erased, P.] , in whom is [verse 19] leccherye, bote be ȝe fulfylled wiþ þe Holy Gost; spekynge to ȝou-selfen in psalmes & in ympnys & [P folio 58b] in spyrytual songes, [verse 20] syngynge in ȝoure hertes, & doynge þankynges to oure [P folio 51b] Lord efer more for alle men in þe name of oure Lord Iesu Cryst [verse 21] to God þe Fader; beynge soget eferych man to oþer in þe drede of Crist. [verse 22] Wymmen also ben sogettes to hure hous|bondes as to oure Lord. [verse 23] For a man is þe hed of a womman, as Crist is hed of holy churche, & he is þe safeour of þe body of holy chu[r]che. [verse 24] & ryȝt as holy churche is soget to Crist, so ben wymmen [wymmen repeated in the margin, 1st corr. S.] sogetes to hire housbondes in alle þinges. [verse 25] And ȝe housbondes, lofe ȝe ȝoure wyfes, as Crist lofed [loueþ, P.] holy [verse 26] churche, & ȝef hym-self for hure; to maken hure holy, makynge hure clene þoroȝ þe waschynge of water in þe word [verse 27] of lyf, þat he maked hure gloryous to hym-selfen, hafynge no wem, ne non ryfelynge, (þat is, no sen) [þ^t is no sen in the margin, 1st corr. S.] , ne non suche oþer þing: bote þat he be holy & wiþouten wem. [verse 28] & so men schulleþ lofen hure wyfes ryȝt as hure owne bodyes. & who [verse 29] þat lofeþ his wyf lofeþ hym-selfen: for þer ne is no man þat hateþ his owne flesch; bote norscheþ it & kepeþ it, as Crist [verse 30] doþ holy churche; for we beþ þe membres of his body, of

his flesch, & of his bonys. [verse 31] Wherfore a man schal lefen his fader & his moder, & drawen hym to his wyf; & þei schulleþ ben tweyn in [P folio 59] on flesch. [verse 32] Þis sacrament is gret; and y seye in Crist & in holy churche. [verse 33] Þat eferych of ȝou lofe his wyf as hym-selfen, & drede þe wyf hure housbonde.