1 James, a bondman of God and of Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion, greeting.
2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when ye encounter various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 And let perseverance have a perfect work, so that ye may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.
5 And if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God who gives to all generously and not reproaching, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by wind and tossed about.
7 For that man should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Now let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his lowliness, because as a flower of grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rose up with the burning heat, and withered the grass. And the flower of it fell, and the beauty of its appearance perished. So also the rich man will fade away among his pursuits.
12 Blessed is a man who endures temptation, because, having become approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God is without temptation of evils, and he himself tempts no man.
14 But each man is tempted by his own lust, being drawn away and enticed.
15 Then the lust having conceived, it gives birth to sin, and after being complete the sin brings forth death.
16 Be not led astray, my beloved brothers.
17 Every good gift and every perfect endowment is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation nor shadow of turning.
18 Having deliberated, he begot us by the word of truth for us to be a certain first fruit of his creatures.
19 Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
20 For the wrath of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore having put off all filthiness and profusion of evil, receive with mildness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this resembles a man observing his natural face in a mirror.
24 For he observes himself, and goes away, and straightaway forgets what kind of man he was.
25 But he who stooped to look into the perfect law, the one of liberty, and who remained, this man, who did not become a forgetful hearer but a doer of work, this man will be blessed in his doing.
26 If any man among you seems to be religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, this man's religion is futile.
27 Pure religion and undefiled from God and the Father is this, to go help the orphaned and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
1 Iames the seruaut of God and of the Lorde Iesus Christ sendeth gretinge to ye .xii. trybes which are scattered here and there.
2 My brethren count it excedynge ioye when ye faule into divers teptacions
3 for as moche as ye knowe how that the tryinge of youre fayth bringeth pacience:
4 and let pacience have her parfect worke that ye maye be parfecte and sounde lackinge nothinge.
5 Yf eny of you lacke wysdome let him axe of God which geveth to all men indifferentlie and casteth no man in the teth: and it shal be geven him.
6 But let him axe in fayth and waver not. For he that douteth is lyke the waves of the see tost of the wynde and caried with violence.
7 Nether let that man thinke that he shall receave eny thinge of the Lorde.
8 A waveringe mynded man is vnstable in all his wayes.
9 Let the brother of lowe degre reioyce in yt he is exalted
10 and the ryche in that he is made lowe. For eve as ye flower of the grasse shall he vanysshe awaye.
11 The sonne ryseth with heate and the grasse wydereth and his flower falleth awaye and the beautie of the fassion of it perissheth: even so shall the ryche man perisshe with his aboundance.
12 Happy is the man that endureth in temptacion for when he is tryed he shall receave the croune of lyfe which the Lorde hath promysed to them that love him.
13 Let no man saye when he is tepted that he is tempted of God. For God tepteth not vnto evyll nether tepteth he anie ma.
14 But every ma is tepted drawne awaye and entysed of his awne concupiscece.
15 Then when lust hath coceaved she bringeth forth synne and synne whe it is fynisshed bringeth forthe deeth.
16 Erre not my deare brethren.
17 Every good gyfte and every parfayt gyft is from above and commeth doune fro the father of light with whom is no variablenes nether is he chaunged vnto darcknes.
18 Of his awne will begat he vs with the worde of lyfe that we shuld be the fyrst frutes of his creatures.
19 Wherfore deare brethren let every man be swyfte to heare slowe to speake and slowe to wrath.
20 For the wrath of man worketh not that which is ryghteous before God.
21 Wherfore laye a parte all fylthynes all superfluite of maliciousnes and receave with meknes the worde yt is grafted in you which is able to save youre soules.
22 And se that ye be doars of the worde and not hearers only deceavinge youre awne selves with sophistrie
23 For yf eny heare the worde and do it not he is lyke vnto a man that beholdeth his bodyly face in a glasse.
24 For assone as he hath loked on him silfe he goeth his waye and forgetteth immediatlie what his fassion was.
25 But who so loketh in the parfaict lawe of libertie and continueth ther in (yf he be not a forgetfull hearer but a doar of ye worke) the same shall be happie in his dede.
26 Yf eny man amonge you seme devoute and refrayne not his tonge: but deceave his awne herte this mannes devocion is in vayne
27 Pure devocion and vndefiled before God the father is this: to vysit the frendlesse and widdowes in their adversite and to kepe him silfe vnspotted of the worlde.