Efésios 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.