James 5

¹Do now, ye riche men, wepe ye, yellinge in youre wretchidnessis that schulen come to you.

²Youre richessis ben rotun, and youre clothis ben etun of mouytis.

³Youre 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.

⁴Lo! 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.

⁵Ye han ete on the erthe, and in youre letcheries ye han nurschid youre hertis. In the dai of sleyng ye brouyten,

⁶and slowen the iust man, and he ayenstood not you.

⁷Therfor, 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.

⁸And be ye pacient, and conferme ye youre hertis, for the comyng of the Lord schal neiye.

⁹Britheren, nyle ye be sorewful ech to other, that ye be not demed. Lo! the iuge stondith niy bifor the yate.

¹⁰Britheren, 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.

¹¹Lo! 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.

¹²Bifor 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.

¹³And if ony of you is sorewful, preye he with pacient soule, and seie he a salm.

¹⁴If 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;

¹⁵and 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.

¹⁶Therfor 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.

¹⁷Elye 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.

¹⁸And eftsoone he preiede, and heuene yaf reyn, and the erthe yaf his fruyt.

¹⁹And, britheren, if ony of you errith fro trewthe, and ony conuertith hym,

²⁰he 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.

James 5

¹Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

²Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

³Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

⁴Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

⁵Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

⁶Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

⁷Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

⁸Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

⁹Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

¹⁰Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

¹¹Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

¹²But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

¹³Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

¹⁴Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

¹⁵And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

¹⁶Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

¹⁷Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

¹⁸And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

¹⁹Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

²⁰Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.