1 I seie treuthe in Crist Jhesu, Y lye not, for my conscience berith witnessyng to me in the Hooli Goost,

2 for greet heuynesse is to me, and contynuel sorewe to my herte.

3 For Y my silf desiride to be departid fro Crist for my britheren, that ben my cosyns aftir the fleisch, that ben men of Israel;

4 whos is adopcioun of sones, and glorie, and testament, and yyuyng of the lawe, and seruyce, and biheestis;

5 whos ben the fadris, and of which is Crist after the fleisch, that is God aboue alle thingis, blessid in to worldis.

6 Amen. But not that the word of God hath falle doun. For not alle that ben of Israel, these ben Israelitis.

7 Nethir thei that ben seed of Abraham, `alle ben sonys; but in Ysaac the seed schal be clepid to thee;

8 that is to seie, not thei that ben sones of the fleisch, ben sones of God, but thei that ben sones of biheeste ben demed in the seed.

9 For whi this is the word of biheest, Aftir this tyme Y schal come, and a sone schal be to Sare.

10 And not oneli sche, but also Rebecca hadde twey sones of o liggyng bi of Ysaac, oure fadir.

11 And whanne thei weren not yit borun, nether hadden don ony thing of good ether of yuel, that the purpos of God schulde dwelle bi eleccioun,

12 not of werkis, but of God clepynge, it was seid to hym,

13 that the more schulde serue the lesse, as it is writun, Y louede Jacob, but Y hatide Esau.

14 What therfor schulen we seie? Whether wickidnesse be anentis God?

15 God forbede. For he seith to Moyses, Y schal haue merci on whom Y haue merci; and Y schal yyue merci on whom Y schal haue merci.

16 Therfor it is not nether of man willynge, nethir rennynge, but of God hauynge mercy.

17 And the scripture seith to Farao, For to this thing Y haue stirid thee, that Y schewe in thee my vertu, and that my name be teld in al erthe.

18 Therfor of whom God wole, he hath merci; and whom he wole, he endurith.

19 Thanne seist thou to me, What is souyt yit? for who withstondith his wille?

20 O! man, who art thou, that answerist to God? Whether a maad thing seith to hym that made it, What hast thou maad me so?

21 Whether a potter of cley hath not power to make of the same gobet o vessel in to honour, an othere in to dispit?

22 That if God willynge to schewe his wraththe, and to make his power knowun, hath suffrid in greet pacience vessels of wraththe able in to deth,

23 to schewe the riytchessis of his glorie in to vessels of merci, whiche he made redi in to glorie.

24 Whiche also he clepide not oneli of Jewis, but also of hethene men, as he seith in Osee,

25 Y schal clepe not my puple my puple, and not my loued my louyd, and not getynge mercy getynge merci;

26 and it schal be in the place, where it is seid to hem, Not ye my puple, there thei schulen be clepid the sones of `God lyuynge.

27 But Isaye crieth for Israel, If the noumbre of Israel schal be as grauel of the see, the relifs schulen be maad saaf.

28 Forsothe a word makynge an ende, and abreggynge in equyte, for the Lord schal make a word breggid on al the erthe.

29 And as Ysaye bifor seide, But God of oostis hadde left to vs seed, we hadden be maad as Sodom, and we hadden be lijk as Gommor.

30 Therfor what schulen we seie? That hethene men that sueden not riytwisnesse, han gete riytwisnesse, yhe, the riytwisnesse that is of feith.

31 But Israel suynge the lawe of riytwisnesse, cam not parfitli in to the lawe of riytwisnesse.

32 Whi? For not of feith, but as of werkys. And thei spurneden ayens the stoon of offencioun,

33 as it is writun, Lo! Y putte a stoon of offensioun in Syon, and a stoon of sclaundre; and ech that schal bileue `in it, schal not be confoundid.