James 4

1 Whence wars and whence fightings among you? are they not from hence—due to your pleasures which are taking the field in your members?

Wherof ben batelis and cheestis among you? Whether not of youre coueitisis, that fiyten in youre membris?

2 Ye covet—and have not, ye commit murder, and are jealous—and cannot obtain, —ye fight and war. Ye have not—because ye do not really ask,

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.

3 Ye ask and receive not, because that, basely, ye ask, in order that, in your pleasures, ye may spend [it].

Ye axen, and ye resseyuen not; for that ye axen yuele, as ye schewen opynli in youre coueitisis.

4 Adulteresses! Know ye not that, the friendship of the world, is, enmity to God? Whosoever, therefore, is minded to be, a friend, of the world, an enemy of God, doth constitute himself.

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.

5 Or think ye that, in vain, the scripture speaketh? Is it, for envying, that the spirit which hath taken an abode within us doth crave?

Whether ye gessen, that the scripture seith veynli, The spirit that dwellith in you, coueitith to enuye?

6 Howbeit he giveth, greater, favour. Wherefore it saith—God, against the haughty, arrayeth himself, Whereas, unto the lowly, he giveth favour.

But he yyueth the more grace; for which thing he seith, God withstondith proude men, but to meke men he yyueth grace.

7 Range yourselves, therefore, under God, but withstand the adversary, and he will flee from you:

Therfor be ye suget to God; but withstonde ye the deuel, and he schal fle fro you.

8 Draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. Cleanse hands, sinners! Chasten hearts, double souls!

Neiye ye to God, and he schal neiye to you. Ye synneris, clense ye hondis, and ye double in soule, purge ye the hertis.

9 Be miserable and lament and weep, let, your laughter, into lamentation, be turned, and, your joy, into dejection;

Be ye wretchis, and weile ye; youre leiyyng be turned in to weping, and ioye in to sorewe of herte.

10 Be made low in presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Be ye mekid in the siyt of the Lord, and he schal enhaunse you.

11 Be not speaking one against another, brethren! He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against law, and judgeth law; Now, if, upon law, thou art passing judgment, thou art not a doer of law, but a judge!

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.

12 One, is Lawgiver and Judge—He who hath power to save and to destroy; but who art, thou, that judgest thy neighbour?

But oon is makere of the lawe, and iuge, that may lese, and delyuere.

13 Come now! ye that say—Today or To-morrow, we will journey unto this city here, and will spend there a year, and will trade and get gain, —

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;

14 Men who are not versed in the morrow—of what sort your life [will be]; for ye are, a vapour—for a little, appearing, then, just disappearing!

whiche witen not, what is to you in the morewe.

15 Instead of your saying—If, the Lord, be pleased, we shall both, live and do this or that;

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.

16 Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: —All boasting like this, is, wicked,

And now ye maken ful out ioye in youre pridis; euery siche ioye is wickyd.

17 To him, therefore, who knoweth how to be doing, a right thing, and is not doing it, it is, sin, unto him.

Therfor it is synne to hym, that kan do good, and doith not.