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¹ Therfor putte ye awei al malice, and al gile, and feynyngis, and enuyes, and alle bacbityngis;² as now borun yonge children, resonable, with out gile, coueite ye mylk, that in it ye wexe in to helthe; if netheles ye han tastid,³ that the Lord is swete.

⁴ And neiye ye to hym, that is a lyuyng stoon, and repreuyd of men, but chosun of God, and onourid;⁵ and ye silf as quyk stoonys be ye aboue bildid in to spiritual housis, and an hooli preesthod, to offre spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God bi Jhesu Crist.⁶ For which thing the scripture seith, Lo! Y schal sette in Syon the hiyeste corner stoon, chosun and preciouse; and he that schal belieue in hym, schal not be confoundid.⁷ Therfor onour to you that bileuen; but to men that bileuen not, the stoon whom the bilderis repreuyden, this is maad in to the heed of the corner; and the stoon of hirtyng,⁸ and stoon of sclaundre, to hem that offenden to the word, nethir bileuen it, in which thei ben set.⁹ But ye ben a chosun kyn, a kyngli preesthod, hooli folc, a puple of purchasing, that ye telle the vertues of hym, that clepide you fro derknessis in to his wondirful liyt.¹⁰ Which sum tyme were not a puple of God, but now ye ben the puple of God; which hadden not merci, but now ye han merci.¹¹ Moost dere, Y biseche you, as comelyngis and pilgrymys, to absteine you fro fleischli desiris, that fiyten ayens the soule;¹² and haue ye youre conuersacioun good among hethene men, that in that thing that thei bacbite of you, as of mysdoeris, thei biholden you of good werkis, and glorifie God in the dai of visitacioun.

¹³ Be ye suget to ech creature, for God; ethir to the kyng, as to hym that is hiyer in state,¹⁴ ethir to duykis, as to thilke that ben sent of hym to the veniaunce of mysdoers, and to the preisyng of good men.¹⁵ For so is the wille of God, that ye do wel, and make the vnkunnyngnesse of vnprudent men to be doumb.¹⁶ As fre men, and not as hauynge fredom the keuering of malice, but as the seruauntis of God.¹⁷ Onoure ye alle men, loue ye brithirhod, drede ye God, onoure ye the king.¹⁸ Seruauntis, be ye sugetis in al drede to lordis, not oneli to good and to mylde, but also to tyrauntis.¹⁹ For this is grace, if for conscience of God ony man suffrith heuynessis, and suffrith vniustli.²⁰ For what grace is it, if ye synnen, and ben buffatid, and suffren? But if ye don wel, and suffren pacientli, this is grace anentis God.²¹ For to this thing ye ben clepid. For also Crist suffride for vs, and lefte ensaumple to you, that ye folewe the steppis of hym.²² Which dide not synne, nethir gile was foundun in his mouth.²³ And whanne he was cursid, he curside not; whanne he suffride, he manasside not; but he bitook hym silf to hym, that demyde hym vniustli.²⁴ And he hym silf bar oure synnes in his bodi on a tre, that we be deed to synnes, and lyue to riytwisnesse, bi whos wan wounde ye ben heelid.²⁵ For ye weren as scheep errynge, but ye ben now turned to the schipherde, and bischop of youre soulis.