Content

CAP 5
1 Therfor be ye foloweris of God, as moost dereworthe sones;
2 and walke ye in loue, as Crist louyde vs, and yaf hym silf for vs an offryng and a sacrifice to God, in to the odour of swetnesse.
3 And fornycacioun, and al vnclennesse, or aueryce, be not named among you, as it bicometh holi men;
4 ethir filthe, or foli speche, or harlatrye, that perteyneth not to profit, but more doyng of thankyngis.
5 For wite ye this, and vndurstonde, that ech letchour, or vnclene man, or coueytouse, that serueth to mawmetis, hath not eritage in the kingdom of Crist and of God.
6 No man disseyue you bi veyn wordis; for whi for these thingis the wraththe of God cam on the sones of vnbileue.
7 Therfor nyle ye be maad parteneris of hem.
8 For ye weren sum tyme derknessis, but now `ye ben liyt in the Lord. Walke ye as the sones of liyt.
9 For the fruyt of liyt is in al goodnesse, and riytwisnesse, and treuthe.
10 And preue ye what `thing is wel plesynge to God.
11 And nyle ye comyne to vnfruytouse werkis of derknessis; but more repreue ye.
12 For what thingis ben don of hem in priuy, it is foule, yhe, to speke.
13 And alle thingis that ben repreuyd of the liyt, ben opynli schewid; for al thing that is schewid, is liyt.
14 For which thing he seith, Rise thou that slepist, and rise vp fro deth, and Crist schal liytne thee.
15 Therfor, britheren, se ye, hou warli ye schulen go;
16 not as vnwise men, but as wise men, ayenbiynge tyme, for the daies ben yuele.
17 Therfor nyle ye be maad vnwise, but vndurstondynge which is the wille of God.
18 And nyle ye be drunkun of wyn, in which is letcherie, but be ye fillid with the Hooli Goost; and speke ye to you silf in salmes,
19 and ymnes, and spiritual songis, syngynge and seiynge salm in youre hertis to the Lord;
20 euermore doynge thankingis for alle thingis in the name of oure Lord Jhesu Crist to God and to the fadir.
21 Be ye suget togidere in the drede of Crist.
22 Wymmen, be thei suget to her hosebondis,
23 as to the Lord, for the man is heed of the wymman, as Crist is heed of the chirche; he is sauyour of his bodi.
24 But as the chirche is suget to Crist, so wymmen to her hosebondis in alle thingis.
25 Men, loue ye youre wyues, as Crist louyde the chirche, and yaf hym silf for it, to make it holi;
26 and clenside it with the waisching of watir, in the word of lijf,
27 to yyue the chirche gloriouse to hym silf, that it hadde no wem, ne ryueling, or ony siche thing, but that it be hooli and vndefoulid.
28 So and men `schulen loue her wyues, as her owne bodies. He that loueth his wijf, loueth hym silf;
29 for no man hatide euere his owne fleisch, but nurischith and fostrith it, as Crist doith the chirche.
30 And we ben membris of his bodi, of his fleisch, and of his boonys.
31 For this thing a man schal forsake his fadir and modir, and he schal drawe to his wijf; and thei schulen be tweyne in o fleisch.
32 This sacrament is greet; yhe, Y seie in Crist, and in the chirche.
33 Netheles ye alle, ech man loue his wijf as hym silf; and the wijf drede hir hosebonde.