Wycliffe's English Translation (1388)
Wycliffe
Translated from the Latin in the 14th century
[1]`Sotheli, britheren, Y make the gospel knowun to you, which Y haue prechid to you, the which also ye han takun, in which ye stonden, [2]also bi which ye schulen be sauyd; `bi which resoun Y haue prechid to you, if ye holden, `if ye han not bileuyd ideli. [3]For Y bitook to you at the bigynnyng that thing which also Y haue resseyued; that Crist was deed for oure synnes, bi the scripturis; [4]and that he was biried, and that he roos ayen in the thridde dai, after scripturis; [5]and that he was seyn to Cephas, and aftir these thingis to enleuene; [6]aftirward he was seyn to mo than fyue hundrid britheren togidere, of whiche manye lyuen yit, but summe ben deed; aftirward he was seyn to James, [7]and aftirward to alle the apostlis. [8]And last of alle he was seyn also to me, as to a deed borun child. [9]For Y am the leste of apostlis, that am not worthi to be clepid apostle, for Y pursuede the chirche of God. [10]But bi the grace of God Y am that thing that Y am; and his grace was not voide in me. For Y trauelide more plenteuously than alle thei; but not Y, but the grace of God with me. [11]But whether Y, or thei, so we han prechid, and so ye han bileuyd. [12]And if Crist is prechid, that he roos ayen fro deeth, hou seien summen among you, that the ayenrisyng of deed men is not? [13]And if the ayenrisyng of deed men is not, nethir Crist roos ayen fro deeth. [14]And if Crist roos not, oure preching is veyn, oure feith is veyn. [15]And we ben foundun false witnessis of God, for we han seid witnessyng ayens God, that he reiside Crist, whom he reiside not, if deed men risen not ayen. [16]Forwhi if deed men risen not ayen, nether Crist roos ayen; [17]and if Crist roos not ayen, oure feith is veyn; and yit ye ben in youre synnes. [18]And thanne thei that han diede in Crist, han perischid. [19]If in this life oneli we ben hoping in Crist, we ben more wretchis than alle men. [20]But now Crist roos ayen fro deth, the firste fruit of deed men; [21]for deeth was bi a man, and bi a man is ayenrisyng fro deth. [22]And as in Adam alle men dien, so in Crist alle men schulen be quykenyd. [23]But ech man in his ordre; the firste fruit, Crist, afterward thei that ben of Crist, that bileueden in the comyng of Crist; [24]aftirward an ende, whanne he schal bitake the kyngdom to God and to the fadir, whanne he schal auoide al princehod, and power, and vertu. [25]But it bihoueth hym to regne, til he putte alle hise enemyes vndur hise feet. [26]And at the laste, deth the enemye schal be distried; for he hath maad suget alle thingis vndur hise feet. [27]And whanne he seith, alle thingis ben suget to hym, with outen doubt outakun hym that sugetide alle thingis to hym. [28]And whanne alle thingis ben suget to hym, thanne the sone hym silf schal be suget to hym, that made `alle thingis suget to hym, that God be alle thingis in alle thingis. [29]Ellis what schulen thei do, that ben baptisid for deed men, if in no wise deed men risen ayen? wherto ben thei baptisid for hem? [30]And wherto ben we in perel euery our? [31]Ech dai Y die for youre glorie, britheren, which glorie Y haue in Crist Jhesu oure Lord. [32]If aftir man Y haue fouyten to beestis at Efesi, what profitith it to me, if deed men risen not ayen? Ete we, and drynke we, for we schulen die to morewe. [33]Nyle ye be disseyued; for yuel spechis distrien good thewis. [34]Awake ye, iuste men, and nyle ye do synne; for summen han ignoraunce of God, but to reuerence Y speke to you. [35]But summan seith, Hou schulen deed men rise ayen, or in what maner bodi schulen thei come? [36]Vnwise man, that thing that thou sowist, is not quykened, but it die first; [37]and that thing that thou sowist, `thou sowist not the bodi that is to come, but a nakid corn, as of whete, or of summe othere seedis; [38]and God yyueth to it a bodi, as he wole, and to ech of seedis a propir bodi. [39]Not ech fleisch is the same fleisch, but oon is of men, another is of beestis, another is of briddis, an othere of fischis. [40]And `heuenli bodies ben, and `ertheli bodies ben; but oon glorie is of heuenely bodies, and anothir is of ertheli. [41]An othere clerenesse is of the sunne, anothere clerenesse is of the moone, and anothere clerenesse is of sterris; and a sterre dyuersith fro a sterre in clerenesse. [42]And so the ayenrisyng of deed men. It is sowun in corrupcioun, it schal rise in vncorrupcioun; [43]it is sowun in vnnoblei, it schal rise in glorie; it is sowun in infirmyte, it schal rise in vertu; [44]it is sowun a beestly bodi, it schal rise a spiritual bodi. If ther is a beestli bodi, ther is also a spiritual bodi; [45]as it is writun, The firste man Adam was maad in to a soule lyuynge, the laste Adam in to a spirit quykenynge. [46]But the firste is not that that is spiritual, but that that is beestlich, aftirward that that is spiritual. [47]The firste man of erthe is ertheli; the secounde man of heuene is heuenelich. [48]Such as the ertheli man is, such ben the ertheli men; and such as the heueneli man is, suche ben also the heueneli men. [49]Therfor as we han bore the ymage of the ertheli man, bere we also the ymage of the heuenli. [50]Britheren, Y seie this thing, that fleisch and bloud moun not welde the kyngdom of God, nethir corrupcioun schal welde vncorrupcioun. [51]Lo! Y seie to you priuyte of hooli thingis. And alle we schulen rise ayen, but not alle we schulen be chaungid; [52]in a moment, in the twynklyng of an iye, in the laste trumpe; for the trumpe schal sowne, and deed men schulen rise ayen, with oute corrupcioun, and we schulen be chaungid. [53]For it byhoueth this corruptible thing to clothe vncorrupcioun, and this deedli thing to putte awei vndeedlinesse. [54]But whanne this deedli thing schal clothe vndeedlynesse, thanne schal the word be doon, that is writun, Deth is sopun vp in victorie. [55]Deth, where is thi victorie? Deth, where is thi pricke? [56]But the pricke of deth is synne; and the vertu of synne is the lawe. [57]But do we thankyngis to God, that yaf to vs victorie bi oure Lord Jhesu Crist. [58]Therfore, my dereworthe britheren, be ye stidefast, and vnmouable, beynge plenteuouse in werk of the Lord, euere more witynge that youre trauel is not idel in the Lord.
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Author: John Wycliffe (1328 – 1384)
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