James 1
1 James a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in dispersion sendeth greeting.
James, the seruaunt of God, and of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, to the twelue kinredis, that ben in scatering abrood, helthe.
2 Account it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various trials:
My britheren, deme ye al ioye, whanne ye fallen in to diuerse temptaciouns, witynge,
3 knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience;
that the preuyng of youre feith worchith pacience;
4 but let patience have it's perfect work, that ye may be entirely perfect, failing in nothing.
and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.
5 And if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.
And if ony of you nedith wisdom, axe he of God, which yyueth to alle men largeli, and vpbreidith not; and it schal be youun to hym.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea blown about and tossed by the wind.
But axe he in feith, and doute no thing; for he that doutith, is lijk to a wawe of the see, which is moued and borun a boute of wynde.
7 Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from the Lord.
Therfor gesse not the ilke man, that he schal take ony thing of the Lord.
8 A double-minded man is inconstant in all his ways.
A man dowble in soule is vnstable in alle hise weies.
9 Let the brother that is low rejoice in his exaltation: but the rich in his humiliation,
And a meke brother haue glorie in his enhaunsyng,
10 because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
and a riche man in his lownesse; for as the flour of gras he schal passe.
11 For when the sun is risen with it's sultry heat, it drieth up the grass, and the flower of, it falleth, and the beauty of it's appearance is lost: so shall the rich man fade away in his projects.
The sunne roos vp with heete, and driede the gras, and the flour of it felde doun, and the fairnesse of his chere perischide; and so a riche man welewith in hise weies.
12 Happy is the man who sustaineth temptation; for being approved he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.
Blessid is the man, that suffrith temptacioun; for whanne he schal be preued, he schal resseyue the coroun of lijf, which God biheyte to men that louen hym.
13 Let no one that is tempted say, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted by evils, and He tempteth no one.
No man whanne he is temptid, seie, that he is temptid of God; for whi God is not a temptere of yuele thingis, for he temptith no man.
14 But every man is tempted, when drawn aside and insnared by his own vehement desire.
But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.
15 Then desire having conceived bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.
Aftirward coueityng, whanne it hath conseyued, bringith forth synne; but synne, whanne it is fillid, gendrith deth.
16 Be not therefore deceived, my beloved brethren: for every good gift,
Therfor, my most dereworthe britheren, nyle ye erre.
17 and every perfect gift, but no evil one, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, nor shadow of turning:
Ech good yifte, and ech perfit yifte is from aboue, and cometh doun fro the fadir of liytis, anentis whom is noon other chaungyng, ne ouerschadewyng of reward.
18 who hath of his own will begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.
For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Wite ye, my britheren moost loued, be ech man swift to here, but slow to speke, and slow to wraththe;
20 for the wrath of man doth not practise the righteousness of God.
for the wraththe of man worchith not the riytwisnesse of God.
21 Laying aside therefore all filthiness, and excess of malice, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
For which thing caste ye awei al vnclennesse, and plentee of malice, and in myldenesse resseyue ye the word that is plauntid, that may saue youre soulis.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
But be ye doeris of the word, and not hereris oneli, disseiuynge you silf.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror,
For if ony man is an herere of the word, and not a doere, this schal be licned to a man that biholdith the cheer of his birthe in a mirour;
24 who beheld himself, and went away, and immediately forgot what manner of man he was.
for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which he was.
25 But he that looketh well into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
But he that biholdith in the lawe of perfit fredom, and dwellith in it, and is not maad a foryetful herere, but a doere of werk, this schal be blessid in his dede.
26 If any among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, this man's devotion is vain.
And if ony man gessith hym silf to be religiouse, and refreyneth not his tunge, but disseyueth his herte, the religioun of him is veyn.
27 Pure and uncorrupt religion before God and our Father is this, to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
A clene religioun, and an vnwemmed anentis God and the fadir, is this, to visite fadirles and modirles children, and widewis in her tribulacioun, and to kepe hym silf vndefoulid fro this world.
