< James 5 >
1 ye ziza be yi bi wo bi ka ta yi ni sa wonyu niyu ine shiji wa ani ye ni u gbugbuu
Now [I have something to say to] the rich people [who do not believe in Christ and who] ([oppress you/cause you to suffer]). Listen [to me], you rich people! You should weep and wail [loudly] [DOU] because you will experience terrible troubles [PRS]!
2 iwo bi a gla ikulon bi immaran ni lri ba
Your wealth [of various kinds] is [worthless] [MET], [as though it were] rotted. Your fine clothes are [worthless] [MET], [as though] termites had ruined them.
3 zinariya ba azurfar bi ba kuklu kuklu a ani no shaida ni tu bi ani gon nmama kpabi na illu be vu ikpi u son bi kari nde ni gbe i vi u kaikle
Your gold and silver are [worthless] [MET], [as though they were] corroded. [When God judges you], this worthless wealth [MTY] of yours will be evidence [PRS] that you are guilty [of being greedy], and as rust and fire [destroy] [MET, SYN] things, [God] will severely punish you [SIM]. You have ([in vain/uselessly]) (stored up/accumulated) [wealth] at a time when [God] is about to [judge you] [MTY].
4 yga ie bi ti ndu aniyi ide wa be kayu be wa ba ka chah ikpi ni irju ni yiwu u yi be chah ikpi a hi ito u irji ruduna
Think [about what you have done]. You have not paid wages to the workmen who have harvested your fields for you, [with the result that] [PRS] those reapers are crying out [to God for him to help them]. [And God], the all-powerful Lord, has heard their loud cries.
5 bi son ni mi son ikpi u gbuuglu de yo tubi ni mi be yo isonron bi du wuloga ni gbi ivi u hha
You have lived luxuriously, just to have pleasure [here] on earth. [Just like cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that] they will be slaughtered [MET], you have [lived just for pleasure] [MTY], [not realizing that God will severely punish you].
6 bi hukunta de wo idid dede u ana san nyu ni yi na
You have [arranged for others/judges to] condemn innocent people. You have [arranged for others to kill] some people. [And even though] those people had not done anything wrong, they were not [able to] defend themselves against you. [My fellow believers, that is what I say to the rich people] ([who oppress you/cause you to suffer]).
7 ni tu naki be ka vu sonran mrivayi khi gbie ye yesu na wa be ron ba gbie iga da cha ikpi mba ye niko ni vu sonron nda kpailu u mumla ni ilu u kaikle
So, my fellow believers, [although rich people cause you to suffer], be patient until the Lord [Jesus Christ] comes [back]. Remember that when farmers [plant a field], they wait for their valuable crops to grow. They must wait patiently for the rain [that comes] at the planting season and for more rain [that comes] just before the harvest season. They wait [for] the crops [to grow and mature before they can harvest them].
8 beyi me bi ka vu sonro be ka no gbegbele isonro bi i ye irji a ti hwiehwire
[Similarly], you also should [wait] patiently and trust the Lord [Jesus] firmly, because he is coming [back] soon [and will judge all people fairly].
9 na chaba gbugburu na mrivayimu ni kpa bu nde ndu mba na la yina ya ba u turon a khiri kutara.
My fellow believers, do not complain about each other, in order that you will not be condemned [and punished by the Lord Jesus] {in order that [the Lord Jesus] will not condemn you}. It is he who will judge us, and he is ready to appear.
10 ban na ki mrivayi ni sha ya ni vu sonron annabawa be wa mba tre mba ni mi ide irji
My fellow believers, as an example [of how to be patient], (consider/think about) the prophets whom the Lord [God sent long ago] to speak his messages [MTY]. [Although people caused] the prophets to suffer a lot, they endured it patiently.
11 ya khi yo be wa mba vu sonrona ba be ti lulu be wo be be vu sonron wa Ayuba a tia be ka toh nde a hi idu irji na wa a he ni lo sonro ni jikai
And we know that [God] (approves of/is pleased with) those who endure [suffering for him]. You have also heard about Job. You know that [although he suffered much], the Lord [God] finally caused things to turn out well [for Job because] he endured [that suffering] (OR, because he continued [to trust God]). [And from that we know] that the Lord is very compassionate and kind.
12 nituwawu mrivayimu na shidi ni me me mba ni shu ko ni meme ko ni ikpiri u shidi nitu naki e a hi e u be ta tre nde a du hi a a du yi na joku ni mi hukunci na?
Also, my fellow believers, [I want to say] something important [about how you talk]. [If you say that you will do something], do not say, “If I do not do it, may [God in] heaven [MTY] punish me.” Do not even say, “If I do not do it, may [someone here on] earth [MTY] punish me.” Do not say anything like that. Instead, if you say “Yes,” then [do what you said that you would do]. If you say “No,” then do not [do it]. Otherwise, [God] will condemn you.
13 u irbi a si shaya kpukpome? du herai irji u idri a ni giri? wa ka yosai u gberesa
Whoever among you is experiencing trouble [RHQ] should pray [that God would help him. Whoever] is cheerful/happy [RHQ] should sing songs of praise [to God].
14 iri ni lo ni mi bi? wa a ka yo be nikon u tra irji du mba bere irji ni a u da gbah iyee ni wu ni mi nde irji
Whoever among you is sick [RHQ] should call the leaders of the congregation [to come to pray for him]. They should put [olive] oil on him and, with the Lord’s authority [MTY] (OR, calling on the Lord [to heal him]), pray.
15 ibere u kponji ani den idi u liloirji ni zu lude wa ani ta latre irji a ni wuru kalle wu
And if they truly trust [in the Lord] when they pray [PRS], the sick person will be healed. The Lord will heal him. And if that person has sinned ([in a way that caused him to be/and because of that he became]) [sick, if he] ([confesses what he did/says that he did what is wrong]), he will be forgiven {[the Lord] will forgive him}.
16 ni tu naki be kahla latre bi ni kpabi nde ta bere irji du no yi gbegble wawa bi ibere idi u dede a he ni gbegbele du u njaaji
So, [because the Lord is able to heal the sick and to forgive sins], tell each other the sinful things that you have done, and pray for each other in order that you may be healed {that [God] may heal you} [physically and spiritually]. If righteous people [pray and] ask fervently [for God to do something, God] will certainly do it in a powerful way.
17 iliya a hi idime na khi ta a bere ni kpohji an de illu na juna i illuwa na ku ni gbula na ti isai tra ni hwatahne
[Although the prophet] Elijah was (an ordinary person/just a human being) like us, he earnestly prayed that it would not rain. [As a result], it did not rain for three and a half years.
18 u illiya ka labere irji na ki u shulu ka du illu ku u meme ka no ikolo kugrua
Then he prayed again, [asking God to send rain], and [as a result God] [MTY] sent rain, and plants [grew and] produced crops [again].
19 mrivayimu u iribi ni ta baude ni mi njaaji u idior ji u kwmaye
My fellow believers, if anyone of you stops obeying the true message [from God], someone from among you should persuade that person to once again do [what God has told us to do]. [If he stops doing what is wrong],
20 indi ki ka toh ande idi wa a kwhandi sanra ni latre ma ani kpa a chuwo ni ohu nda ka gbu gbu latre ma
the one [who persuaded him] should realize that [because] he has enabled the person who was sinning to stop doing what is wrong, [God] will save that person from ([spiritual] death/being separated from him forever), and will forgive [his] many sins.