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 scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My britheren, deme ye al ioye, whanne ye fallen in to diuerse temptaciouns, witynge,
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.
3 that the preuyng of youre feith worchith pacience;
Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.
But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting 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.
If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall 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, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 Therfor gesse not the ilke man, that he schal take ony thing of the Lord.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from the Lord.
8 A man dowble in soule is vnstable in alle hise weies.
A man unsettled in his opinions [is] unstable in all his ways.
9 And a meke brother haue glorie in his enhaunsyng,
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 and a riche man in his lownesse; for as the flour of gras he schal passe.
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall 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 hath no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and its flower falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
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 that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that 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 man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.
But every man 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 when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Therfor, my most dereworthe britheren, nyle ye erre.
Do not err, my beloved brethren.
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 gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18 For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.
Of his own will he hath begotten us with 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;
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 for the wraththe of man worchith not the riytwisnesse of God.
For the wrath of man worketh not 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.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted 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 ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 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 any is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which he was.
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and immediately forgetteth what manner of man 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 looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [in it], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
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 any man among you seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion [is] vain.
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 God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.
