John 15
1 Y am a very vyne, and my fadir is an erthe tilier.
[Jesus talked to us as we were walking along. Speaking figuratively of the need for us to live in a way that God wants us to, he said], “I am like [MET] a genuine vine, [not like those Jewish leaders who do not teach the truth]. My father is like [MET] a gardener who [works to] take care of a vineyard.
2 Ech braunch in me that berith not fruyt, he schal take awey it; and ech that berith fruyt, he schal purge it, that it bere the more fruyt.
[Just like a gardener] cuts off the branches that bear no grapes [MET], [God gets rid of those who do not please him even though they say that they belong to him]. Those branches that bear fruit, [the gardener] trims so that they may bear more grapes. [Similarly, my Father disciplines/corrects those who live as he wants them to live].
3 Now ye ben clene, for the word that Y haue spokun to you.
You are already [like] the branches [that a gardener] trims because [you have believed] the message that I have told you.
4 Dwelle ye in me, and Y in you; as a braunche may not make fruyt of it silf, but it dwelle in the vyne, so nether ye, but ye dwelle in me.
Remain having a close relationship with me. [If you do that], I will remain having a close relationship with you. A branch [of a vine] cannot bear fruit [if it is cut off and left] by itself. To bear fruit, it must remain attached to the vine. Similarly, you cannot [live the way that God wants you to] if you do not remain united to me [MET].
5 Y am a vyne, ye the braunchis. Who that dwellith in me, and Y in hym, this berith myche fruyt, for with outen me ye moun no thing do.
I am [like] [MET] a vine. You are [like] [MET] the branches. All those who have a close relationship with me and with whom I have a close relationship will [do much that pleases God, like] [MET] [a vine that] bears much fruit. [Remember that] you can do nothing [HYP] [that truly pleases God] without my [help].
6 If ony man dwellith not in me, he schal be caste out as a braunche, and schal wexe drie; and thei schulen gadere hym, and thei schulen caste hym in to the fier, and he brenneth.
[A gardener cuts off and] throws away useless branches. Then, after they dry up, [he] picks them up and throws them into a fire and burns them [SIM]. Similarly, everyone who does not remain having a close relationship with me, [God] will get rid of.
7 If ye dwellen in me, and my wordis dwelle in you, what euer thing ye wolen, ye schulen axe, and it schal be don to you.
If you remain having a close relationship with me and you keep [living in accordance with] my message, you can ask [God to do] anything for you, and he will do it.
8 In this thing my fadir is clarified, that ye brynge forth ful myche fruyt, and that ye be maad my disciplis.
The way my Father is honored is by your {The way you honor my Father is by} doing much that pleases him [MET], and by doing that, you will show that you are my disciples.
9 As my fadir louede me, Y haue loued you; dwelle ye in my loue.
I have loved you just as [my] Father has loved me. Now keep living in [a way that is appropriate for those whom] I love.
10 If ye kepen my comaundementis, ye schulen dwelle in my loue; as Y haue kept the comaundementis of my fadir, and Y dwelle in his loue.
If you obey what I have commanded you, you will be acting in [a way that is appropriate for those whom] I love, just like I have obeyed what my Father has commanded me and I act [in a way that is appropriate for someone] whom he loves.
11 These thingis Y spak to you, that my ioye be in you, and youre ioye be fulfillid.
I have told you these things so that you may be joyful as I [am joyful], and that you may be completely joyful.
12 This is my comaundement, that ye loue togidere, as Y louede you.
What I am commanding you is this: Love each other just like I have loved you.
13 No man hath more loue than this, that a man putte his lijf for hise freendis.
The best way that people can show that they love someone is to die for that person. There is no way that you can love someone in a greater way than that.
14 Ye ben my freendis if ye doen tho thingis, that Y comaunde to you.
You [show that you] are my friends if you keep doing what I have commanded you.
15 Now Y schal not clepe you seruauntis, for the seruaunt woot not, what his lord schal do; but Y haue clepid you freendis, for alle thingis what euere Y herde of my fadir, Y haue maad knowun to you.
I will no longer call you my servants, because servants do not know [why] their masters [want them to] do things. Instead, I have said that you are my friends, because I, [acting like a friend], have revealed to you everything that my Father told me.
16 Ye han not chosun me, but Y chees you; and Y haue put you, that ye go, and brynge forth fruyt, and youre fruyt dwelle; that what euere thing ye axen the fadir in my name, he yyue to you.
You did not decide to become my [disciples]. Instead, I chose you, so that you would do many things that please him [MET]. The results of what you do will last [forever]. I also chose you so that [my] Father will do for you whatever you, using my authority, ask him to do [MTY].
17 These thingis Y comaunde to you, that ye loue togidere.
[I repeat what] I have commanded you: Love each other.”
18 If the world hatith you, wite ye, that it hadde me in hate rather than you.
“The people who are opposed to God will hate you. When that happens, remember that they hated me first.
19 If ye hadden be of the world, the world schulde loue that thing that was his; but for ye ben not of the world, but Y chees you fro the world, therfor the world hatith you.
If you belonged to those who are opposed to God [MTY], they would love [you like they love] those who belong to them. But you do not belong to those who are opposed to God [MTY]. Instead, I chose you so that you would separate yourselves from [MTY] them. That is why those who are opposed to God [MTY] hate you.
20 Haue ye mynde of my word, which Y seide to you, The seruaunt is not grettere than his lord. If thei han pursued me, thei schulen pursue you also; if thei han kept my word, thei schulen kepe youre also.
Remember these words that I told you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ [That means that you, who are like my servants, cannot expect people to treat you better than they treat me]. So, since they have (persecuted me/caused me to suffer), they will (persecute you/cause you to suffer) also. If they had paid attention to the things I taught them, they would pay attention to what you teach them.
21 But thei schulen do to you alle these thingis for my name, for thei knowen not hym that sente me.
They will treat you like that because you [belong to] me [MTY], and because they do not know the one who sent me.
22 If Y hadde not comun, and hadde not spokun to hem, thei schulden not haue synne; but now thei haue noon excusacioun of her synne.
If I had not come and spoken [God’s message] to them, they would not be guilty [of rejecting me and my message]. But now [I have come and told them God’s message, so] they will have no excuse [when God judges them] for their sin.
23 He that hatith me, hatith also my fadir.
All those who hate me, [it is as though] they hate my Father as well.
24 If Y hadde not doon werkis in hem, whiche noon other man dide, thei schulden not haue synne; but now both thei han seyn, and hatid me and my fadir.
If I had not done among them the [miracles] that no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of the sin [of rejecting me]. But now, [although] they have seen [those miracles], they have hated both me and my Father.
25 But that the word be fulfillid, that is writun in her lawe, For thei hadden me in hate with outen cause.
But this has happened in order that these words that have been written in their Scriptures might be fulfilled {to fulfill this that [(someone/the Psalmist]) wrote in their Scriptures}: ‘They hated me for no reason.’
26 But whanne the coumfortour schal come, which Y schal sende to you fro the fadir, a spirit of treuthe, which cometh of the fadir, he schal bere witnessyng of me;
[Later] I will send to you from [my] Father the one who will (encourage/be like a legal counsel for) you. He is the Spirit [who will teach you God’s] truth. He will come from my Father. He will tell people about me.
27 and ye schulen bere witnessyng, for ye ben with me fro the bigynnyng.
But you [disciples] must also tell people [about me], because you have been with me from the time when I started [my ministry] [MTY].”
