Wycliffe's English Translation (1388)
Wycliffe
Translated from the Latin in the 14th century
[1]But Y seie, as long tyme as the eir is a litil child, he dyuersith no thing fro a seruaunt, whanne he is lord of alle thingis; [2]but he is vndur keperis and tutoris, in to the tyme determyned of the fadir. [3]So we, whanne we weren litle children, we serueden vndur the elementis of the world. [4]But aftir that the fulfilling of tyme cam, God sente his sone, [5]maad of a womman, maad vndur the lawe, that he schulde ayenbie hem that weren vndur the lawe, that we schulden vnderfonge the adopcioun of sones. [6]And for ye ben Goddis sones, God sente his spirit in to youre hertis, criynge, Abba, fadir. [7]And so ther is not now a seruaunt, but a sone; and if he is a sone, he is an eir bi God. [8]But thanne ye vnknowynge God, serueden to hem that in kynde weren not goddis. [9]But now whanne ye han knowe God, and ben knowun of God, hou ben ye turned eftsoone to the febil and nedi elementis, to the whiche ye wolen eft serue? [10]Ye taken kepe to daies, and monethis, and tymes, and yeris. [11]But Y drede you, lest without cause Y haue trauelid among you. [12]Be ye as Y, for Y am as ye. Britheren, Y biseche you, ye han hurt me no thing. [13]But ye knowen, that bi infirmyte of fleisch Y haue prechid to you now bifore; [14]and ye dispiseden not, nether forsoken youre temptacioun in my fleisch, but ye resseyueden me as an aungel of God, as `Crist Jhesu. [15]Where thanne is youre blessyng? For Y bere you witnesse, that if it myyte haue be don. ye wolden haue put out youre iyen, and haue yyuen hem to me. [16]Am Y thanne maad an enemye to you, seiynge to you the sothe? [17]Thei louen not you wel, but thei wolen exclude you, that ye suen hem. [18]But sue ye the good euermore in good, and not oneli whanne Y am present with you. [19]My smale children, whiche Y bere eftsoones, til that Crist be fourmed in you, [20]and Y wolde now be at you, and chaunge my vois, for Y am confoundid among you. [21]Seie to me, ye that wolen be vndir the lawe, `han ye not red the lawe? [22]For it is writun, that Abraham hadde two sones, oon of a seruaunt, and oon of a fre womman. [23]But he that was of the seruaunt, was borun after the flesh; but he that was of the fre womman, by a biheeste. [24]The whiche thingis ben seid bi an othir vndirstonding. For these ben two testamentis; oon in the hille of Synai, gendringe in to seruage, which is Agar. [25]For Syna is an hille that is in Arabie, which hille is ioyned to it that is now Jerusalem, and seruith with hir children. [26]But that Jerusalem that is aboue, is fre, whiche is oure modir. [27]For it is writun, Be glad, thou bareyn, that berist not; breke out and crye, that bringist forth no children; for many sones ben of hir that is left of hir hosebonde, more than of hir that hath an hosebonde. [28]For, britheren, we ben sones of biheeste aftir Isaac; [29]but now as this that was borun after the fleisch pursuede him that was aftir the spirit, so now. [30]But what seith the scripture? Caste out the seruaunt and hir sone, for the sone of the seruaunt schal not be eir with the sone of the fre wijf. [31]And so, britheren, we ben not sones of the seruaunt, but of the fre wijf, bi which fredom Crist hath maad vs fre.
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Author: John Wycliffe (1328 – 1384)
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