James 4
Wycliffe's Bible
1Whereof be battles and chidings among you? Whether not (out) of your covetings, that fight in your members? (Where do battles and arguments among you come from? Whether not from your lusts and your envies, that fight among your members?) 2Ye covet, and ye have not; ye slay, and ye have envy, and ye may not get (and ye cannot get). Ye chide, and make battle; and ye have not, for that ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and ye receive not; for that ye ask (with) evil (intent), as ye show openly in your covetings. 4Adulterers, know not ye, that the friendship of this world is enemy to God? [+that the friendship of this world is enmity to God?] (that friendship with this world, or that love for this world, is enmity to God?) Therefore whoever will be the friend of this world, is made the enemy of God. 5Whether ye guess, that the scripture saith vainly (Do ye think, that the Scripture saith emptily, or for no purpose), The spirit that dwelleth in you, coveteth to envy? 6But he giveth the more grace; for which thing he saith, God withstandeth proud men, but to meek men he giveth grace (God opposeth the proud, but he giveth grace to the humble). 7Therefore be ye subject to God; but withstand ye the devil, and he shall flee from you. 8Nigh ye to God, and he shall nigh to you. Ye sinners, cleanse ye the hands, and ye double in soul [and ye double of will], purge ye the hearts. (Come near to God, and he shall come near to you. Ye sinners, cleanse your hands, and ye of two minds, purge your hearts.) 9Be ye wretches, and wail ye, [and weep ye]; your laughing be turned into weeping, and [your] joy into (the) sorrow of heart. 10Be ye meeked in the sight of the Lord, and he shall enhance you. (Be ye humble before the Lord, and he shall raise you up.)

11My brethren, do not ye backbite each other. He that backbiteth his brother, either that deemeth his brother, backbiteth the law, and deemeth the law. And if thou deemest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a doomsman. (My brothers, do not slander each other. He who slandereth his brother, or who judgeth his brother, slandereth the Law, and judgeth the Law. And if thou judgest the Law, thou art not a doer of the Law, but a judge.) 12But one is maker of the law, and judge, that may lose and deliver. And who art thou, that deemest thy neighbour? (But there is One who is the Maker of the Law, and the Judge, who can destroy and save. And so who art thou, who judgest thy neighbour?)

13Lo! now ye, that say, Today either tomorrow we shall go into that city, and there we shall dwell a year, and we shall make merchandise, and we shall make winning(s) (and we shall have great success, or make great profits); 14which know not, what is to you in the morrow. For what is your life? A smoke, (or A vapour), appearing at a little time, and afterward it shall be wasted. 15Therefore that ye say, If the Lord will, and if we live, we shall do this thing, either that thing. (And so ye should say, If the Lord desireth it, and if we live, we shall do this, or that.) 16And now ye make full out joy in your prides; every such joying is wicked. 17Therefore it is sin to him, that knoweth to do good, and doeth not.

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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