1Iames a seruant of God, and of the Lord Iesus Christ, to the twelue Tribes, which are scattered abroade, salutation.
2My brethren, count it exceeding ioy, when ye fall into diuers tentations,
3Knowing that ye trying of your faith bringeth forth patience,
4And let patience haue her perfect worke, that ye may be perfect and entier, lacking nothing.
5If any of you lacke wisedome, let him aske of God, which giueth to all men liberally, and reprocheth no man, and it shalbe giuen him.
6But let him aske in faith, and wauer not: for hee that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, tost of the winde, and caried away.
7Neither let that man thinke that hee shall receiue any thing of the Lord.
8A double minded man is vnstable in all his waies.
9Let the brother of lowe degree reioyce in that he is exalted:
10Againe hee that is rich, in that hee is made lowe: for as the flower of the grasse, shall he vanish away.
11For as when the sunne riseth with heate, then the grasse withereth, and his flower falleth away, and the goodly shape of it perisheth: euen so shall the rich man wither away in all his waies.
12Blessed is ye man, that endureth tentation: for when he is tried, hee shall receiue the crowne of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him.
13Let no man say when hee is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God can not bee tempted with euill, neither tempteth he any man.
14But euery man is tempted, when hee is drawen away by his owne concupiscence, and is entised.
15Then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth foorth sinne, and sinne when it is finished, bringeth foorth death.
16Erre not, my deare brethren.
17Euery good giuing, and euery perfect gift is from aboue, and commeth downe from the Father of lights, with whome is no variablenes, neither shadow of turning.
18Of his owne will begate hee vs with the woorde of trueth, that we shoulde be as the first fruites of his creatures.
19Wherefore my deare brethren, let euery man be swift to heare, slowe to speake, and slowe to wrath.
20For the wrath of man doeth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God.
21Wherefore lay apart all filthinesse, and superfluitie of maliciousnesse, and receiue with meekenes the word that is graffed in you, which is able to saue your soules.
22And be ye doers of the word, and not hearers onely, deceiuing your owne selues.
23For if any heare the woorde, and doe it not, he is like vnto a man, that beholdeth his naturall face in a glasse.
24For when he hath considered himselfe, hee goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what maner of one he was.
25But who so looketh in the perfect Lawe of libertie, and continueth therein, hee not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the woorke, shalbe blessed in his deede.
26If any man amog you seeme religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiueth his owne heart, this mans religion is vaine.
27Pure religion and vndefiled before God, euen the Father, is this, to visite the fatherlesse, and widdowes in their aduersitie, and to keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world.