
CAP 1
1 James, the seruaunt of God, and of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, to the twelue kinredis, that ben in scatering abrood, helthe.
2 My britheren, deme ye al ioye, whanne ye fallen in to diuerse temptaciouns, witynge,
3 that the preuyng of youre feith worchith pacience;
4 and pacience hath a perfit werk, that ye be perfit and hole, and faile in no thing.
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.
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.
7 Therfor gesse not the ilke man, that he schal take ony thing of the Lord.
8 A man dowble in soule is vnstable in alle hise weies.
9 And a meke brother haue glorie in his enhaunsyng,
10 and a riche man in his lownesse; for as the flour of gras he schal passe.
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.
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.
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.
14 But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.
15 Aftirward coueityng, whanne it hath conseyued, bringith forth synne; but synne, whanne it is fillid, gendrith deth.
16 Therfor, my most dereworthe britheren, nyle ye erre.
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.
18 For wilfulli he bigat vs bi the word of treuthe, that we be a bigynnyng of his creature.
19 Wite ye, my britheren moost loued, be ech man swift to here, but slow to speke, and slow to wraththe;
20 for the wraththe of man worchith not the riytwisnesse 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.
22 But be ye doeris of the word, and not hereris oneli, disseiuynge you silf.
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;
24 for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which 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.
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.
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.

CAP 2
1 Mi britheren, nyle ye haue the feith of oure Lord Jhesu Crist of glorie, in accepcioun of persoones.
2 For if a man `that hath a goldun ring, and in a feire clothing, cometh in youre cumpany, and a pore man entrith in a foul clothing,
3 and if ye biholden in to hym that is clothid with clere clothing, and if ye seie to hym, Sitte thou here wel; but to the pore man ye seien, Stonde thou there, ethir sitte vndur the stool of my feet; whether ye demen not anentis you silf,
4 and ben maad domesmen of wickid thouytis?
5 Heere ye, my moost dereworthe britheren, whethir God chees not pore men in this world, riche in feith, and eiris of the kyngdom, that God bihiyte to men that louen him?
6 But ye han dispisid the pore man. Whether riche men oppressen not you bi power, and thei drawen you to domes?
7 Whether thei blasfemen not the good name, that is clepid to help on you?
8 Netheles if ye performen the kingis lawe, bi scripturis, Thou schalt loue thi neiybour as thi silf, ye don wel.
9 But if ye taken persones, ye worchen synne, and ben repreued of the lawe, as trespasseris.
10 And who euere kepith al the lawe, but offendith in oon, he is maad gilti of alle.
11 For he that seide, Thou schalt do no letcherie, seide also, Thou schalt not sle; that if thou doist not letcherie, but thou sleest, thou art maad trespassour of the lawe.
12 Thus speke ye, and thus do ye, as bigynnynge to be demyd bi the lawe of fredom.
13 For whi dom with out merci is to hym, that doith no mercy; but merci aboue reisith dom.
14 Mi britheren, what schal it profite, if ony man seie that he hath feith, but he hath not the werkis? whether feith schal mowe saue hym?
15 And if a brother ethir sister be nakid, and han nede of ech daies lyuelode,
16 and if ony of you seie to hem, Go ye in pees, be ye maad hoot, and be ye fillid; but if ye yyuen not to hem tho thingis that ben necessarie to bodi, what schal it profite?
17 So also feith, if it hath not werkis, is deed in it silf.
18 But summan schal seie, Thou hast feith, and Y haue werkis; schewe thou to me thi feith with out werkis, and Y schal schewe to thee my feith of werkis.
19 Thou bileuest, that o God is; thou doist wel; and deuelis bileuen, and tremblen.
20 But wolt thou wite, thou veyn man, that feith with out werkis is idul?
21 Whether Abraham, oure fadir, was not iustified of werkis, offringe Ysaac, his sone, on the auter?
22 Therfor thou seest, that feith wrouyte with hise werkis, and his feith was fillid of werkis.
23 And the scripture was fillid, seiynge, Abraham bileuede to God, and it was arettid to hym to riytwisnesse, and he was clepid the freend of God.
24 Ye seen that a man is iustified of werkis, and not of feith oneli.
25 In lijk maner, and whether also Raab, the hoore, was not iustified of werkis, and resseyuede the messangeris, and sente hem out bi anothir weie?
26 For as the bodi with out spirit is deed, so also feith with out werkis is deed.

CAP 3
1 Mi britheren, nyle ye be maad many maistris, witynge that ye taken the more doom.
2 For alle we offenden in many thingis. If ony man offendith not in word, this is a perfit man; for also he may lede aboute al the bodi with a bridil.
3 For if we putten bridlis `in to horsis mouthis, for to consente to vs, and we leden aboute al the bodi of hem.
4 And lo! schippis, whanne thei ben grete, and ben dryuun of stronge wyndis, yit thei ben borun about of a litil gouernaile, where the meuyng of the gouernour wole.
5 So also the tunge is but a litil membre, and reisith grete thingis. Lo! hou litil fier brenneth a ful greet wode.
6 And oure tunge is fier, the vniuersite of wickidnesse. The tunge is ordeyned in oure membris, which defoulith al the bodi; and it is enflawmed of helle, and enflawmeth the wheel of oure birthe.
7 And al the kynde of beestis, and of foulis, and of serpentis, and of othere is chastisid, and tho ben maad tame of mannus kinde; but no man mai chastise the tunge,
8 for it is an vnpesible yuel, and ful of deedli venym.
9 In it we blessen God, the fadir, and in it we cursen men, that ben maad to the licnesse of God.
10 Of the same mouth passith forth blessing and cursing. My britheren, it bihoueth not that these thingis be don so.
11 Whether a welle of the same hoole bringith forth swete and salt watir?
12 My britheren, whether a fige tre may make grapis, ethir a vyne figus? So nethir salt watir mai make swete watir.
13 Who is wijs, and tauyt among you? schewe he of good lyuyng his worching, in myldenesse of his wisdom.
14 That if ye han bitter enuye, and stryuyngis ben in youre hertis, nyle ye haue glorye, and be lyeris ayens the treuthe.
15 For this wisdom is not fro aboue comynge doun, but ertheli, and beestli, and feendli.
16 For where is enuye and strijf, there is vnstidfastnesse and al schrewid werk.
17 But wisdom that is from aboue, first it is chast, aftirward pesible, mylde, able to be counseilid, consentinge to goode thingis, ful of merci and of goode fruytis, demynge with out feynyng.
18 And the fruyt of riytwisnesse is sowun in pees, to men that maken pees.

CAP 4
1 Wherof ben batelis and cheestis among you? Whether not of youre coueitisis, that fiyten in youre membris?
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.
3 Ye axen, and ye resseyuen not; for that ye axen yuele, as ye schewen opynli in youre coueitisis.
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.
5 Whether ye gessen, that the scripture seith veynli, The spirit that dwellith in you, coueitith to enuye?
6 But he yyueth the more grace; for which thing he seith, God withstondith proude men, but to meke men he yyueth grace.
7 Therfor be ye suget to God; but withstonde ye the deuel, and he schal fle fro 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.
9 Be ye wretchis, and weile ye; youre leiyyng be turned in to weping, and ioye in to sorewe of herte.
10 Be ye mekid in the siyt of the Lord, and he schal enhaunse you.
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.
12 But oon is makere of the lawe, and iuge, that may lese, and delyuere.
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;
14 whiche witen not, what is to you in the morewe.
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.
16 And now ye maken ful out ioye in youre pridis; euery siche ioye is wickyd.
17 Therfor it is synne to hym, that kan do good, and doith not.

CAP 5
1 Do now, ye riche men, wepe ye, yellinge in youre wretchidnessis that schulen come to you.
2 Youre richessis ben rotun, and youre clothis ben etun of mouytis.
3 Youre gold and siluer hath rustid, and the rust of hem schal be to you in to witnessyng, and schal ete youre fleischis, as fier. Ye han tresourid to you wraththe in the last daies.
4 Lo! the hire of youre werke men, that repiden youre feeldis, which is fraudid of you, crieth; and the cry of hem hath entrid in to the eeris of the Lord of oostis.
5 Ye han ete on the erthe, and in youre letcheries ye han nurschid youre hertis. In the dai of sleyng ye brouyten,
6 and slowen the iust man, and he ayenstood not you.
7 Therfor, britheren, be ye pacient, til to the comyng of the Lord. Lo! an erthetilier abidith preciouse fruyt of the erthe, paciently suffrynge, til he resseyue `tymeful and lateful fruyt.
8 And be ye pacient, and conferme ye youre hertis, for the comyng of the Lord schal neiye.
9 Britheren, nyle ye be sorewful ech to other, that ye be not demed. Lo! the iuge stondith niy bifor the yate.
10 Britheren, take ye ensaumple of yuel goyng out, and of long abidyng, and trauel, and of pacience, the prophetis, that speken to you in the name of the Lord.
11 Lo! we blessen hem that suffriden. Ye herden the `suffring, ethir pacience, of Joob, and ye sayn the ende of the Lord, for the Lord is merciful, and doynge merci.
12 Bifor alle thingis, my britheren, nyle ye swere, nether bi heuene, nether bi erthe, nethir bi what euere other ooth. But be youre word Yhe, yhe, Nay, nay, that ye fallen not vndir doom.
13 And if ony of you is sorewful, preye he with pacient soule, and seie he a salm.
14 If ony of you is sijk, lede he in preestis of the chirche, and preie thei for hym, and anoynte with oile in the name of the Lord;
15 and the preier of feith schal saue the sijk man, and the Lord schal make hym liyt; and if he be in synnes, thei schulen be foryouun to hym.
16 Therfor knouleche ye ech to othere youre synnes, and preye ye ech for othere, that ye be sauyd. For the contynuel preyer of a iust man is myche worth.
17 Elye was a deedli man lijk vs, and in preier he preiede, that it schulde not reyne on the erthe, and it reynede not thre yeeris and sixe monethis.
18 And eftsoone he preiede, and heuene yaf reyn, and the erthe yaf his fruyt.
19 And, britheren, if ony of you errith fro trewthe, and ony conuertith hym,
20 he owith to wite, that he that makith a synner to be turned fro the errour of his weye, schal saue the soule of hym fro deth, and keuereth the multitude of synnes.
