Romans 7

¹Britheren, whethir ye knowun not; for Y speke to men `that knowen the lawe; for the lawe hath lordschip in a man, as long tyme as it lyueth?

²For that womman that is vndur an hosebonde, is boundun to the lawe, while the hosebonde lyueth; but if hir hosebonde is deed, sche is delyuered fro the lawe of the hosebonde.

³Therfor sche schal be clepid auoutresse, if sche be with another man, while the hosebonde lyueth; but if hir hosebonde is deed, sche is delyuered fro the lawe of the hosebonde, that sche be not auoutresse, if sche be with another man.

⁴And so, my britheren, ye ben maad deed to the lawe bi the bodi of Crist, that ye ben of another, that roos ayen fro deth, that ye bere fruyt to God.

⁵For whanne we weren in fleisch, passiouns of synnes, that weren bi the lawe, wrouyten in oure membris, to bere fruyt to deth.

⁶But now we ben vnboundun fro the lawe of deth, in which we weren holdun, so that we seruen in newnesse of spirit, and not in eldnesse of lettre.

⁷What therfor schulen we seie? The lawe is synne? God forbede. But Y knew not synne, but bi lawe; for Y wiste not that coueitynge was synne, but for the lawe seide, Thou schalt not coueyte.

⁸And thoruy occasioun takun, synne bi the maundement hath wrouyt in me al coueytise; for withouten the lawe, synne was deed.

⁹And Y lyuede withouten the lawe sumtyme; but whanne the comaundement was comun, synne lyuede ayen.

¹⁰But Y was deed, and this comaundement that was to lijf, was foundun to me, to be to deth.

¹¹For synne, thorouy occasioun takun bi the comaundement, disceyuede me, and bi that it slow me.

¹²Therfor the lawe is hooli, and the comaundement is hooli, and iust, and good.

¹³Is thanne that thing that is good, maad deth to me? God forbede. But synne, that it seme synne, thorouy good thing wrouyte deth to me, that me synne ouer maner thorouy the comaundement.

¹⁴And we witen, that the lawe is spiritual; but Y am fleischli, seld vndur synne.

¹⁵For Y vndurstonde not that that Y worche; for Y do not the good thing that Y wole, but Y do thilke yuel thing that Y hate.

¹⁶And if Y do that thing that Y wole not, Y consente to the lawe, that it is good.

¹⁷But now Y worche not it now, but the synne that dwellith in me.

¹⁸But and Y woot, that in me, that is, in my fleisch, dwellith no good; for wille lieth to me, but Y fynde not to performe good thing.

¹⁹For Y do not thilke good thing that Y wole, but Y do thilke yuel thing that Y wole not.

²⁰And if Y do that yuel thing that Y wole not, Y worche not it, but the synne that dwellith in me.

²¹Therfor Y fynde the lawe to me willynge to do good thing, for yuel thing lieth to me.

²²For Y delite togidere to the lawe of God, aftir the ynnere man. But Y se another lawe in my membris,

²³ayenfiytynge the lawe of my soule, and makynge me caitif in the lawe of synne, that is in my membris.

²⁴Y am an vnceli man; who schal delyuer me fro the bodi of this synne?

²⁵The grace of God, bi Jhesu Crist oure Lord. Therfor Y my silf bi the soule serue to the lawe of God; but bi fleisch to the lawe of synne.

Romans 7

¹Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?

²For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.

³So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.

⁴Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.

⁵For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

⁶But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

⁷What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

⁸But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

⁹For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.

¹⁰And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

¹¹For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.

¹²Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

¹³Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.

¹⁴For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

¹⁵For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.

¹⁶If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

¹⁷Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

¹⁹For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

²⁰Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

²¹I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

²²For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

²³But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

²⁴O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

²⁵I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.