Wycliffe's Bible 1But also false prophets were in the people, as in you shall be masters liars (who be lying teachers, or false teachers), that shall bring in sects of perdition; and they deny that Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves hasty perdition, (or damnation).
2And many shall (pur)sue their lecheries, by whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed; (And many shall follow their lusts, by whom the Way of Truth shall be blasphemed;)
3and they shall make merchandise of you in covetousness by feigned words. To whom doom, (or judgement), now a while ago ceaseth not, and the perdition of them nappeth not. 4For if God spared not (the) angels sinning, but betook them to be tormented, and to be drawn down with bonds of hell into hell, to be kept into doom (to be kept unto the Day of Judgement); 5and spared not the first world, but kept Noe, (or Noah), the eighth man, the before-goer of rightwiseness, and brought in the great flood, (or the deluge), to the world of unfaithful men; 6and he drove (down) into powder the cities of (the) men of Sodom and of (the) men of Gomorrha, (or of Gomorrah), and condemned (them) by turning (them) upside-down, and put them the ensample of them that were to doing evil, (or were doing unpiously) (and made them an example for those who were doing evil); 7and delivered the just Lot, oppressed of the wrong, and of the lecherous conversation of cursed men; (and saved Lot, a good man, who was oppressed by all the wrong-doing, and by the lecherous living of cursed men;) 8for in sight and hearing he was just, and dwelled amongst them that from day into day tormented with wicked works a just soul. 9For the Lord knoweth how to deliver pious men from temptation, and keep wicked men into the day of doom, to be tormented; (For the Lord knoweth how to deliver pious men from testing, and to keep, or to reserve, the wicked under torment, unto the Day of Judgement;) 10but more them that walk after the flesh, in coveting of uncleanness, and despise lordshipping, and be bold, pleasing themselves, and dread not to bring in sects, blaspheming (and fear not to bring in blaspheming sects); 11where angels, when they be more in strength and virtue, (or power), bear not the execrable doom, (or the cursed judgement), against them(selves). 12But these be as unreasonable beasts, kindly, (or by kind, or naturally), into taking, and into death, blaspheming in these things that they know not, and shall perish in their corruption, 13and receive the hire, (or the wages), of unrightwiseness. And they guess delights of defouling and of wem, to be (the) likings of the day (And they think that the delights of defilement and of spot, or of blemish, to be the pleasures of the day), flowing in their feasts with delights, doing lechery with you, 14and have eyes full of adultery, and unceasing trespass, deceiving unsteadfast souls, and have the heart exercised to covetousness; the sons of cursing, 15that forsake the right way, and erred, (pur)suing the way of Balaam of Bosor, which loved the hire of wickedness. (who forsake the right way, and erred, following the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages, or his recompense, for doing wickedness.) 16But he had reproving of, (or correction for), his madness; a dumb beast under yoke, that spake with (the) voice of (a) man, that forbade the unwisdom of the prophet. 17These be wells without water, and mists driven with whirlwinds [and clouds driven with whirling winds], to whom the thick mist of darknesses is reserved. 18And they speak in (the) pride of vanity, and deceive in (the) desires of (the) flesh of lechery them, that escape a little. Which live in error, 19and promise freedom, (or liberty), to them, when they be (the) servants of corruption. For of whom any man is overcome, of him also he is (their) servant. 20For if men forsake the uncleannesses of the world, by the knowing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and again be [en]wrapped in these, and be overcome, the latter things be made to them worse than the former. 21For it was better to them to not know the way of rightwiseness, than to turn again after the knowing, from that holy commandment that was betaken to them. (For it would have been better for them to have never known the way of righteousness, than to turn away after knowing it, yea, from that holy commandment that was delivered to them.) 22For that very proverb befelled to them, The hound turned again to his vomit, or casting (up), and a sow is washed in wallowing in fen, (or in clay). (For this proverb hath proven true for them, A dog returneth to its vomit, and after it is washed, a pig walloweth again in the mire.) WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE Comprising of Wycliffe’s Old Testament and Wycliffe’s New Testament (Revised Edition) Translated by JOHN WYCLIFFE and JOHN PURVEY A modern-spelling edition of their 14TH century Middle English translation, the first complete English vernacular version, with an Introduction by TERENCE P. NOBLE Used by Permission Bible Hub |