Ephesians 5
Wycliffe's Bible
1Therefore be ye followers of God, as most dearworthy sons; 2and walk ye in love, as Christ loved us (as the Messiah loved us), and gave himself for us (as) an offering and a sacrifice to God, into the odour of sweetness.

3And fornication, and all uncleanness, or avarice (or greed), be not named among you, as it becometh holy men; 4either filth, or folly speech, or buffoonery, (or harlotry), that pertaineth not to profit, but more rather doing of thankings. (nor filthy, or foolish, speaking, or buffoonery, all that pertaineth not to profit, but more rather, the giving of thanks, or thanksgiving.) 5For know ye this, and understand, that each lecher, (or each fornicator), or unclean man, or covetous [man], that serveth to maumets, (or to idols), hath not heritage in the kingdom of Christ and of God (hath not an inheritance in the Kingdom of the Messiah and of God).

6No man deceive you by vain words (Let no one deceive you with empty and useless words); for why for these things the wrath of God came upon the sons of unbelief. 7Therefore do not ye be made partners of them. 8For ye were sometime darknesses (For before ye were in darkness/For before ye were darkness), but now ye be light in the Lord. Walk ye as the sons of light. 9For the fruit of light is in all goodness, and rightwiseness, and truth. 10And prove ye what thing is well pleasing to God. 11And do not ye commune to unfruiteous works of darknesses; but more rather reprove ye [them]. (And do not share in, or take part in, unfruitful works of darkness, but rather, rebuke them.) 12For what things be done of them in privy, it is foul, yea, to speak. 13And all things that be reproved of the light, be openly showed, (or be made open); for all thing that is showed, is light. (And everything that is reproved is first brought into the light, so that it can be openly shown, or made open; for everything that is shown, is light.)

14For which thing he saith, Rise thou that sleepest, and rise up from death, and Christ shall lighten thee. [For which thing he saith, Rise thou that sleepest, and rise up from (the) dead, and Christ shall illumine thee.] (For which thing he saith, Rise thou who sleepest, yea, rise up from the dead, and the Messiah shall shine upon thee.)

15Therefore, brethren, see ye, how warily ye shall go (And so, brothers see how prudently ye should go); not as unwise men, but as wise men, 16again-buying the time (redeeming the time), for the days be evil. 17Therefore do not ye be made unwise, but understanding which is the will of God, (or of the Lord). (And so do not be made unwise, but rather seek understanding of what is God’s will.) 18And do not ye be drunk of wine, in which is lechery [in which is luxury], but be ye filled with the Holy Ghost; (And do not be drunk with wine, which leadeth to lechery, and to indulgence, but be filled with the Holy Spirit;) 19and speak ye to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and saying psalm(s) in your hearts to the Lord; 20(for)evermore doing thankings for all things (always giving thanks for everything), in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and to the Father. 21Be ye subject together in the dread of Christ. (Be subject to one another out of reverence for the Messiah.)

22Women, be they subject to their husbands, as to the Lord, 23for the man is (the) head of the woman, as Christ is head of the church (as the Messiah is the head of the church); he is (the) Saviour of his body. 24But as the church is subject to Christ (And just as the church is subject to the Messiah), so (let) women (be subject) to their husbands in all things.

25Men, love ye your wives, as Christ loved the church (as the Messiah loved the church), and gave himself for it, 26to make it holy; and cleansed it with the washing of water, in the word of life, 27to give the church glorious to himself, that it had no wem, (or spot), nor rivelling, (or wrinkle), or any such thing, but that it be holy and undefouled. (to give the church glorious to himself, so that it had no blemish, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it be holy and undefiled.) 28So and men shall love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself; 29for no man hated ever his own flesh, but nourisheth and fostereth it, as Christ doeth the church (as the Messiah nourisheth and fostereth the church). 30And we be (the) members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this thing a man shall forsake his father and mother (a man shall leave his father and his mother), and he shall draw, (or he shall cleave), to his wife; and they shall be twain in one flesh. 32This sacrament is great; yea, I say in Christ, and in the church. (In this is a great mystery, or a great secret; yes, I speak here about the Messiah, and about the church.) 33Nevertheless ye all, each man love his wife as himself; and the wife dread her husband (and the wife revere her husband).

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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