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 of the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 My britheren, deme ye al ioye, whanne ye fallen in to diuerse temptaciouns, witynge,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
3 that the preuyng of youre feith worchith pacience;
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
4 and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.
Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
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.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all 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 he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 Therfor gesse not the ilke man, that he schal take ony thing of the Lord.
That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 A man dowble in soule is vnstable in alle hise weies.
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 And a meke brother haue glorie in his enhaunsyng,
The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position.
10 and a riche man in his lownesse; for as the flour of gras he schal passe.
But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
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 rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of 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 man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has 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.
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.
14 But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
15 Aftirward coueityng, whanne it hath conseyued, bringith forth synne; but synne, whanne it is fillid, gendrith deth.
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to 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.
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
18 For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.
He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
19 Wite ye, my britheren moost loued, be ech man swift to here, but slow to speke, and slow to wraththe;
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
20 for the wraththe of man worchith not the riytwisnesse of God.
for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.
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, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
22 But be ye doeris of the word, and not hereris oneli, disseiuynge you silf.
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
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 anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
24 for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which he was.
and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
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 the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he 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 considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his 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 and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
