The Hurtful Tongue
(James 3:1–12)

1Heare my voyce (o God) in my coplaynte, preserue my life fro feare of ye enemie.

2Hyde me from the gatheringe together of ye frowarde, fro ye heape of wicked doers.

3Which whette their tuges like a swerde, & shute wt their venimous wordes like as wt arowes.

4That they maye preuely hurte ye innocet, & sodely to hit him wt out eny feare.

5They haue deuysed myschefe, and commoned amonge them selues, how they maye laye snares: tush (saye they) who shall se them?

6They ymagin wickednesse, and kepe it secrete amonge them selues, euery man in ye depe of his herte.

7But God shall sodenly shute with an arowe, yt they shall be wounded.

8Yee their owne tunges shall make them fall, In so moch that who so seyth the, shal laugh the to scorne.

9And all men that se it, shal saye: this hath God done for they shal perceaue, yt it is his worke.

10The rightuous shal reioyse in the LORDE, and put his trust in him: and all they yt are true off herte, shalbe glad therof.