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¹ Therfor thou, my sone, be coumfortid in grace that is in Crist Jhesu.² And what thingis thou hast herd of me bi many witnessis, bitake thou these to feithful men, whiche schulen `be also able to teche othere men.³ Trauele thou as a good knyyt of Crist Jhesu.⁴ No man holdinge knyythod to God, wlappith hym silf with worldli nedis, that he plese to hym, to whom he hath preuyd hym silf.⁵ For he that fiytith in a batel, schal not be corowned, but he fiyte lawfuli.⁶ It bihoueth an erthetiliere to resseyue first of the fruytis.⁷ Vndurstonde thou what thingis Y seie. For the Lord schal yyue to thee vndurstonding in alle thingis.

⁸ Be thou myndeful that the Lord Jhesu Crist of the seed of Dauid hath rise ayen fro deth,⁹ aftir my gospel, in which Y trauele `til to boondis, as worching yuele, but the word of God is not boundun.¹⁰ Therfor Y suffre alle thingis for the chosun, that also thei gete the heelthe, that is in Crist Jhesu, with heuenli glorie.¹¹ A trewe word, that if we ben deed togidere, also we schulen liue togidere;¹² if we suffren, we schulen regne togidere; if we denyen, he schal denye vs;¹³ if we bileuen not, he dwellith feithful, he mai not denye hym silf.

¹⁴ Teche thou these thingis, witnessinge bifore God. Nyle thou stryue in wordis; for to no thing it is profitable, but to the subuerting of men that heren.¹⁵ Bisili kepe to yyue thi silf a preued preisable werkman to God, with oute schame, riytli tretinge the word of treuthe.¹⁶ But eschewe thou vnhooli and veyn spechis, for whi tho profiten myche to vnfeithfulnesse,¹⁷ and the word of hem crepith as a canker. Of whiche Filete is, and Ymeneus,¹⁸ whiche felden doun fro the treuthe, seiynge that the rising ayen is now doon, and thei subuertiden the feith of summen.

¹⁹ But the sad foundement of God stondith, hauynge this marke, The Lord knowith whiche ben hise, and, Ech man that nameth the name of the Lord, departith fro wickidnesse.²⁰ But in a greet hous ben not oneli vessels of gold and of siluer, but also of tree and of erthe; and so summen ben in to onour, and summe in to dispit.²¹ Therfor if ony man clensith hym silf fro these, he schal be a vessel halewid in to onour, and profitable to the Lord, redi to al good werk.

²² And fle thou desiris of yongthe, but sue thou riytwisnesse, feith, charite, pees, with hem that inwardli clepen the Lord of a clene herte.²³ And eschewe thou foltische questiouns, and without kunnyng, wytynge that tho gendren chidyngis.²⁴ But it bihoueth the seruaunt of the Lord to chide not; but to be mylde to alle men, able to teche,²⁵ paciente, with temperaunce repreuynge hem that ayenstonden the treuthe, that sum tyme God yyue to hem forthenkyng, that thei knowen the treuthe,²⁶ and that thei rise ayen fro the snares of the deuel, of whom thei ben holdun prisoneris at his wille.