James 1
1 James, the seruaunt of God, and of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, to the twelue kinredis, that ben in scatering abrood, helthe.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Diaspora: Greetings.
2 My britheren, deme ye al ioye, whanne ye fallen in to diuerse temptaciouns, witynge,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
3 that the preuyng of youre feith worchith pacience;
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.
Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 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.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault; and it will be given to him.
6 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.
But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 Therfor gesse not the ilke man, that he schal take ony thing of the Lord.
For let that person not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
8 A man dowble in soule is vnstable in alle hise weies.
He is a double-minded person, unstable in all his ways.
9 And a meke brother haue glorie in his enhaunsyng,
But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;
10 and a riche man in his lownesse; for as the flour of gras he schal passe.
and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
11 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.
For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich person fade away in his pursuits.
12 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.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which he promised to those who love him.
13 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.
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.
But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
15 Aftirward coueityng, whanne it hath conseyued, bringith forth synne; but synne, whanne it is fillid, gendrith deth.
Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.
16 Therfor, my most dereworthe britheren, nyle ye erre.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
17 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.
All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
18 For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 Wite ye, my britheren moost loued, be ech man swift to here, but slow to speke, and slow to wraththe;
This you know, my beloved brothers. But let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
20 for the wraththe of man worchith not the riytwisnesse of God.
for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 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.
Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doeris of the word, and not hereris oneli, disseiuynge you silf.
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
23 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;
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which he was.
for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
25 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.
But he who looks into the perfect Law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this person will be blessed in what he does.
26 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.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious while he does not control his tongue, but deceives his heart, this one's religion is worthless.
27 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.
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
