James 4
1 Wherof ben batelis and cheestis among you? Whether not of youre coueitisis, that fiyten in youre membris?
From whence are warres and contentions among you? are they not hence, euen of your pleasures, that fight in your members?
2 Ye coueiten, and ye han not; ye sleen, and ye han enuye, and ye moun not gete. Ye chiden, and maken batel; and ye han not, for ye axen not.
Ye lust, and haue not: ye enuie, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, and get nothing, because ye aske not.
3 Ye axen, and ye resseyuen not; for that ye axen yuele, as ye schewen opynli in youre coueitisis.
Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures.
4 Auowtreris, witen not ye, that the frenschip of this world is enemye to God? Therfor who euere wole be frend of this world, is maad the enemye of God.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, knowe ye not that the amitie of the world is the enimitie of God? Whosoeuer therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himselfe the enemie of God.
5 Whether ye gessen, that the scripture seith veynli, The spirit that dwellith in you, coueitith to enuye?
Doe ye thinke that the Scripture sayeth in vaine, The spirit that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie?
6 But he yyueth the more grace; for which thing he seith, God withstondith proude men, but to meke men he yyueth grace.
But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, and giueth grace to the humble.
7 Therfor be ye suget to God; but withstonde ye the deuel, and he schal fle fro you.
Submit your selues to God: resist the deuill, and he will flee from you.
8 Neiye ye to God, and he schal neiye to you. Ye synneris, clense ye hondis, and ye double in soule, purge ye the hertis.
Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe neere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be ye wretchis, and weile ye; youre leiyyng be turned in to weping, and ioye in to sorewe of herte.
Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.
10 Be ye mekid in the siyt of the Lord, and he schal enhaunse you.
Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp.
11 My britheren, nyle ye bacbite ech othere. He that bacbitith his brothir, ethir that demeth his brothir, bacbitith the lawe, and demeth the lawe. And if thou demest the lawe, thou art not a doere of the lawe, but a domesman.
Speake not euill one of another, brethren. He that speaketh euill of his brother, or he that condemneth his brother, speaketh euill of ye Law, and condemneth the Lawe: and if thou condemnest the Lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the Lawe, but a iudge.
12 But oon is makere of the lawe, and iuge, that may lese, and delyuere.
There is one Lawgiuer, which is able to saue, and to destroy. Who art thou that iudgest another man?
13 And who art thou, that demest thi neiybore? Lo! now ye, that seien, To dai ethir to morewe we schulen go in to thilke citee, and there we schulen dwelle a yeer, and we schulen make marchaundise, and we schulen make wynning;
Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morowe we will goe into such a citie, and continue there a yeere, and bye and sell, and get gaine,
14 whiche witen not, what is to you in the morewe.
(And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe to morowe. For what is your life? It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a litle time, and afterward vanisheth away)
15 For what is youre lijf? A smoke apperinge at a litil, and aftirward it schal be wastid. Therfor that ye seie, If the Lord wole, and if we liuen, we schulen do this thing, ether that thing.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.
16 And now ye maken ful out ioye in youre pridis; euery siche ioye is wickyd.
But now ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.
17 Therfor it is synne to hym, that kan do good, and doith not.
Therefore, to him that knoweth how to doe well, and doeth it not, to him it is sinne.
