Romans 13
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.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
2 Therfor he that ayenstondith power, ayenstondith the ordynaunce of God; and thei that ayenstonden, geten to hem silf dampnacioun.
Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
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;
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
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.
For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.
5 And therfor bi nede be ye suget, not oneli for wraththe, but also for conscience.
Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
6 For therfor ye yyuen tributis, thei ben the mynystris of God, and seruen for this same thing.
This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
7 Therfor yelde ye to alle men dettis, to whom tribut, tribut, to whom tol, tol, to whom drede, drede, to whom onour, onour.
Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
8 To no man owe ye ony thing, but that ye loue togidere. For he that loueth his neiybore, hath fulfillid the lawe.
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
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.
The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 The loue of neiybore worchith not yuel; therfor loue is the fulfillyng of the lawe.
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
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.
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
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.
The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 As in dai wandre we onestli, not in superflu feestis and drunkenessis, not in beddis and vnchastitees, not in strijf and in enuye;
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
14 but be ye clothid in the Lord Jhesu Crist, and do ye not the bisynesse of fleisch in desiris.
Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.
