Wycliffe's Bible 1Whatever servants be under yoke, deem they their lords worthy (of) all honour, lest the name of the Lord and the doctrine be blasphemed [+lest the name of their Lord God and his doctrine be blasphemed].
2And they that have faithful lords, (or christian lords), despise them not, for they be brethren; but more serve they [them], for they be faithful and loved, which be partners of beneficence, (or of good-doing). Teach thou these things, and admonish thou these things. 3If any man teach otherwise, and accordeth not to the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that teaching that is by piety, 4he is proud, and knoweth nothing, but languisheth about questions and strivings, (or fightings), of words, of the which be brought forth envies, strives, blasphemies, evil suspicions, 5fightings of men, that be corrupt in soul, (or in reason), and that be deprived from (the) truth, that deem winning to be piety (who believe their gain to be proof of their piety/who believe their increase to be a reward for their piety). 6But a great winning is piety, with sufficience. (But piety, in and of itself, is a great gain, or a great reward, yea, with abundance.) 7For we brought in nothing into this world, and no doubt, that we may not bear anything away. [+Forsooth we brought nothing into this world, (and) no doubt, that we may not bear away anything.] (For we brought nothing into this world, and there is no doubt, that we cannot take anything out of it, or away from it.) 8But we having foods, and with what things we shall be covered, (or with what things we shall be clothed), be we satisfied with these things. 9For they that will be made rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable desires and noxious, which drench men (down) into death and perdition. (For those who will be made rich, fall into testing, and into the Devil’s snare, and into many unprofitable and harmful desires, which drown men down into death and destruction.) 10For the root of all evils is covetousness, which some men coveting erred from the faith, and besetted them(selves) with many sorrows. 11But, thou, man of God, flee these things; but follow thou rightwiseness, piety, faith, charity, (or love), patience, (and) mildness, (or meekness and humility). 12Strive thou a good strife of faith, catch everlasting life, into which thou art called, and hast acknowledged a good acknowledging before many witnesses. 13I command to thee before God, that quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, that yielded a witnessing under Pilate of Pontii, a good confession, (I command thee before God, who enliveneth all things/who giveth life to everything, and before the Messiah Jesus, who gave his testimony to Pontius Pilate, yea, a worthy testimony,) 14that thou keep the commandment without wem, without reproof, into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; (that thou obey, or that thou follow, thy orders without spot, or blemish, and without reproof, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;) 15whom the blessed and alone almighty King of kings and Lord of lords shall show in his times. 16Which alone hath undeadliness, (or immortality), and dwelleth in light, to which light no man may come; whom no man saw, neither may see (nor can see); to whom glory, and honour, and empire be without end [to whom (be) glory, and honour, and empire into without end]. Amen. 17Command thou to the rich men of this world, that they understand not highly, (or proudly), neither that they hope in (the) uncertainty of riches, but in the living God, that giveth to us all things plenteously to use; 18to do well, to be made rich in good works, lightly to give (easy, or quickly, to give), to commune, 19to treasure to themselves a good foundament, into (the) time to coming [into (the) time to come], that they catch everlasting life. (to treasure unto themselves a good foundation, into the time to come, so that they can grasp eternal life.) 20Thou Timothy, keep the thing, (or the deposit), betaken to thee, eschewing cursed novelties of voices, and opinions of (the) false name of knowing; (O Timothy, guard the deposit delivered unto thee, shunning the cursed novelties, or fads, of voices, and opinions in the name of false knowledge;) 21which some men promising, about the faith fell down [the which some men promising, fell down about the faith]. The grace of God be with thee. Amen. 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 Bible Hub |