Romans 13 WYC
Summary: Paul instructs believers to be subject to governing authorities, since all authority is instituted by God and rulers are God's servants for good, so Christians should pay taxes and give honor where it is due. He tells them to "owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law" (v. 8), since love does no wrong to a neighbor and is the fulfillment of the commandments. Declaring that salvation is nearer now than when they first believed, Paul urges them to cast off the works of darkness and "put on the armor of light," walking properly as in the daytime and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ rather than making provision for the flesh.
1Euery soule be suget to heiyere powers. For ther is no power but of God, and tho thingis that ben of God, ben ordeyned.
2Therfor he that ayenstondith power, ayenstondith the ordynaunce of God; and thei that ayenstonden, geten to hem silf dampnacioun.
3For 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;
4for 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.
5And therfor bi nede be ye suget, not oneli for wraththe, but also for conscience.
6For therfor ye yyuen tributis, thei ben the mynystris of God, and seruen for this same thing.
7Therfor yelde ye to alle men dettis, to whom tribut, tribut, to whom tol, tol, to whom drede, drede, to whom onour, onour.
8To no man owe ye ony thing, but that ye loue togidere. For he that loueth his neiybore, hath fulfillid the lawe.
9For, 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.
10The loue of neiybore worchith not yuel; therfor loue is the fulfillyng of the lawe.
11And we knowen this tyme, that the our is now, that we rise fro sleep; for now oure heelthe is neer, than whanne we bileueden.
12The 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.
13As in dai wandre we onestli, not in superflu feestis and drunkenessis, not in beddis and vnchastitees, not in strijf and in enuye;
14but be ye clothid in the Lord Jhesu Crist, and do ye not the bisynesse of fleisch in desiris.
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