Romans 7
1 Britheren, whethir ye knowun not; for Y speke to men `that knowen the lawe; for the lawe hath lordschip in a man, as long tyme as it lyueth?
Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?
2 For that womman that is vndur an hosebonde, is boundun to the lawe, while the hosebonde lyueth; but if hir hosebonde is deed, sche is delyuered fro the lawe of the hosebonde.
For instance, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law of marriage.
3 Therfor sche schal be clepid auoutresse, if sche be with another man, while the hosebonde lyueth; but if hir hosebonde is deed, sche is delyuered fro the lawe of the hosebonde, that sche be not auoutresse, if sche be with another man.
So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not an adulteress, even if she marries another man.
4 And so, my britheren, ye ben maad deed to the lawe bi the bodi of Crist, that ye ben of another, that roos ayen fro deth, that ye bere fruyt to God.
Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
5 For whanne we weren in fleisch, passiouns of synnes, that weren bi the lawe, wrouyten in oure membris, to bere fruyt to deth.
For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, bearing fruit for death.
6 But now we ben vnboundun fro the lawe of deth, in which we weren holdun, so that we seruen in newnesse of spirit, and not in eldnesse of lettre.
But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
7 What therfor schulen we seie? The lawe is synne? God forbede. But Y knew not synne, but bi lawe; for Y wiste not that coueitynge was synne, but for the lawe seide, Thou schalt not coueyte.
What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
8 And thoruy occasioun takun, synne bi the maundement hath wrouyt in me al coueytise; for withouten the lawe, synne was deed.
But sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead.
9 And Y lyuede withouten the lawe sumtyme; but whanne the comaundement was comun, synne lyuede ayen.
Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
10 But Y was deed, and this comaundement that was to lijf, was foundun to me, to be to deth.
So I discovered that the very commandment that was meant to bring life actually brought death.
11 For synne, thorouy occasioun takun bi the comaundement, disceyuede me, and bi that it slow me.
For sin, seizing its opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through the commandment put me to death.
12 Therfor the lawe is hooli, and the comaundement is hooli, and iust, and good.
So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.
13 Is thanne that thing that is good, maad deth to me? God forbede. But synne, that it seme synne, thorouy good thing wrouyte deth to me, that me synne ouer maner thorouy the comaundement.
Did that which is good, then, become death to me? Certainly not! But in order that sin might be exposed as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
14 And we witen, that the lawe is spiritual; but Y am fleischli, seld vndur synne.
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 For Y vndurstonde not that that Y worche; for Y do not the good thing that Y wole, but Y do thilke yuel thing that Y hate.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.
16 And if Y do that thing that Y wole not, Y consente to the lawe, that it is good.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good.
17 But now Y worche not it now, but the synne that dwellith in me.
In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
18 But and Y woot, that in me, that is, in my fleisch, dwellith no good; for wille lieth to me, but Y fynde not to performe good thing.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For Y do not thilke good thing that Y wole, but Y do thilke yuel thing that Y wole not.
For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do.
20 And if Y do that yuel thing that Y wole not, Y worche not it, but the synne that dwellith in me.
And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 Therfor Y fynde the lawe to me willynge to do good thing, for yuel thing lieth to me.
So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 For Y delite togidere to the lawe of God, aftir the ynnere man. But Y se another lawe in my membris,
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.
23 ayenfiytynge the lawe of my soule, and makynge me caitif in the lawe of synne, that is in my membris.
But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.
24 Y am an vnceli man; who schal delyuer me fro the bodi of this synne?
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 The grace of God, bi Jhesu Crist oure Lord. Therfor Y my silf bi the soule serue to the lawe of God; but bi fleisch to the lawe of synne.
Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
