11 James, a servant of God and of
the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
12 Count it all joy, my brothers,[1]
when you fall into various temptations, 13 knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 14 Let
endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking
in nothing.
15 But if any of you lacks wisdom,
let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it
will be given to him. 16 But let him ask in faith,
without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by
the wind and tossed. 17 For that man shouldn’t think
that he will receive anything from the Lord. 18 He
is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
19 But let the brother in humble
circumstances glory in his high position; 110 and
the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he
will pass away. 111 For the sun arises with the
scorching wind and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the
beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his
pursuits.
112 Blessed is a person who endures
temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life,
which the Lord promised to those who love him.
113 Let no man say when he is
tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he
himself tempts no one. 114 But each one is tempted when he
is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. 115 Then
the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown,
produces death. 116 Don’t be deceived, my beloved
brothers. 117 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom
can be no variation, nor turning shadow. 118 Of
his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind
of first fruits of his creatures.
119 So, then, my beloved brothers,
let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 120 for
the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. 121 Therefore,
putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with
humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.[2]
122 But
be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. 123 For
if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at
his natural face in a mirror; 124 for he sees himself, and goes
away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 125 But
he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer
who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.
126 If anyone among you thinks
himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his
heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 127 Pure
religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the
world. 1
21 My brothers, don’t hold the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. 22 For
if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a
poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, 23 and
you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here
in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my
footstool” 24 haven’t you shown partiality
among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 25 Listen,
my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be
rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love
him? 26 But you have dishonored the
poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the
courts? 27 Don’t they blaspheme the
honorable name by which you are called? 28 However,
if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself,” you do well. 29 But if you show partiality, you
commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 210 For
whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become
guilty of all. 211 For he who said, “Do not commit
adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit
adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 212 So
speak and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom. 213 For
judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over
judgment.
214 What good is it, my brothers,
if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? 215 And
if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 216 and
one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give
them the things the body needs, what good is it? 217 Even
so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. 218 Yes,
a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without
works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
219 You believe that God is one.
You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. 220 But
do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? 221 Wasn’t
Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the
altar? 222 You see that faith worked with
his works, and by works faith was perfected. 223 So
the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 224 You
see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. 225 In
the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she
received the messengers and sent them out another way? 226 For
as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is
dead. 2
31 Let not many of you be
teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. 32 For
we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect
person, able to bridle the whole body also. 33 Indeed,
we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide
their whole body. 34 Behold, the ships also, though
they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small
rudder, wherever the pilot desires. 35 So the tongue is also a little
member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large
forest! 36 And the tongue is a fire. The
world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole
body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.[3]
37 For
every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature, is tamed, and has
been tamed by mankind; 38 but nobody can tame the tongue.
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 39 With
it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the
image of God. 310 Out of the same mouth comes
blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 311 Does
a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? 312 Can
a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields
both salt water and fresh water.
313 Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in
gentleness of wisdom. 314 But if you have bitter jealousy
and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the
truth. 315 This wisdom is not that which
comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 316 For
where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil
deed. 317 But the wisdom that is from
above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 318 Now
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. 3
41 Where do wars and fightings
among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your
members? 42 You lust, and don’t have. You
murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have,
because you don’t ask. 43 You ask, and don’t receive,
because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
44 You
adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is
hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God. 45 Or do you think that the
Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”? 46 But
he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace
to the humble.” 47 Be subject therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 48 Draw
near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners.
Purify your hearts, you double-minded. 49 Lament,
mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to
gloom. 410 Humble yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
411 Don’t speak against one another,
brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks
against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a
doer of the law, but a judge. 412 Only one is the lawgiver, who
is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?
413 Come now, you who say, “Today
or tomorrow let’s go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a
profit.” 414 Whereas you don’t know what
your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor
that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. 415 For
you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.” 416 But
now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil. 417 To
him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin. 4
51 Come now, you rich, weep and
howl for your miseries that are coming on you. 52 Your
riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. 53 Your
gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony
against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure
in the last days. 54 Behold, the wages of the
laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and
the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.
55 You
have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished
your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 56 You
have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.
57 Be patient therefore, brothers,
until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit
of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.
58 You
also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
59 Don’t grumble, brothers,
against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at
the door. 510 Take, brothers, for an example
of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the
Lord. 511 Behold, we call them blessed
who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and have seen the Lord
in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
512 But above all things, my
brothers, don’t swear— not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath;
but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into
hypocrisy.
513 Is any among you suffering? Let
him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. 514 Is
any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, 515 and
the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 516 Confess
your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. 517 Elijah
was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not
rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. 518 He
prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
519 Brothers, if any among you
wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 520 let
him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul
from death and will cover a multitude of sins.