¹ Euery soule be suget to heiyere powers. For ther is no power but of God, and tho thingis that ben of God, ben ordeyned.

² Therfor he that ayenstondith power, ayenstondith the ordynaunce of God; and thei that ayenstonden, geten to hem silf dampnacioun.

³ For princes ben not to the drede of good work, but of yuel. But wilt thou, that thou drede not power? Do thou good thing, and thou schalt haue preisyng of it;

⁴ for he is the mynystre of God to thee in to good. But if thou doist yuel, drede thou; for not with outen cause he berith the swerd, for he is the mynystre of God, vengere in to wraththe to hym that doith yuel.

⁵ And therfor bi nede be ye suget, not oneli for wraththe, but also for conscience.

⁶ For therfor ye yyuen tributis, thei ben the mynystris of God, and seruen for this same thing.

⁷ Therfor yelde ye to alle men dettis, to whom tribut, tribut, to whom tol, tol, to whom drede, drede, to whom onour, onour.

⁸ To no man owe ye ony thing, but that ye loue togidere. For he that loueth his neiybore, hath fulfillid the lawe.

⁹ For, Thou schalt do no letcherie, Thou schalt not sle, Thou schalt not stele, Thou schalt not seie fals witnessyng, Thou schalt not coueyte the thing of thi neiybore, and if ther be ony othere maundement, it is instorid in this word, Thou schalt loue thi neiybore as thi silf.

¹⁰ The loue of neiybore worchith not yuel; therfor loue is the fulfillyng of the lawe.

¹¹ And we knowen this tyme, that the our is now, that we rise fro sleep; for now oure heelthe is neer, than whanne we bileueden.

¹² The nyyt wente bifore, but the dai hath neiyed. Therfor caste we awei the werkis of derknessis, and be we clothid in the armeris of liyt.

¹³ As in dai wandre we onestli, not in superflu feestis and drunkenessis, not in beddis and vnchastitees, not in strijf and in enuye;

¹⁴ but be ye clothid in the Lord Jhesu Crist, and do ye not the bisynesse of fleisch in desiris.