Jakob 1
1 Jakob, Guds og den Herres Jesu Kristi Tjener, hilser de tolv Stammer i Adspredelsen.
James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the Twelve Tribes that are living abroad.
2 Mine Brødre! agter det for idel Glæde, når I stedes i mange Hånde Prøvelser,
My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
3 vidende, at eders Tros Prøve virker Udholdenhed;
knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
4 men Udholdenheden bør medføre fuldkommen Gerning, for at I kunne være fuldkomne og uden Brøst, så I ikke stå tilbage i noget.
And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient.
5 Men dersom nogen af eder fattes Visdom, han bede derom til Gud, som giver alle gerne og uden Bebrejdelse, så skal den gives ham.
If one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to every one without reproaches, and it will be given to him.
6 Men han bede i Tro, uden at tvivle; thi den, som tvivler, ligner en Havets Bølge, der drives og kastes af Vinden.
But let him ask with confidence, never doubting; for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven hither and thither at the mercy of the wind —
7 Ikke må nemlig det Menneske mene, at han skal få noget af Herren,
Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 en tvesindet Mand, som han er, ustadig på alle sine Veje.
vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn.
9 Men den Broder, som er ringe, rose sig af sin Højhed,
Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation;
10 den rige derimod af sin Ringhed; thi han skal forgå som Græssets Blomst.
for the rich man will pass away ‘like the flower of the grass.’
11 Thi Solen står op med sin Hede og hentørrer Græsset, og dets Blomst falder af, og dens Skikkelses Ynde forsvinder; således skal også den rige visne på sine Veje.
As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, ‘the grass withers, its flower fades,’ and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich man. In the midst of his pursuits he will come to an untimely end.
12 Salig den Mand, som holder Prøvelse ud; thi når han har stået Prøve, skal han få Livets Krans, som Herren har forjættet dem, der elske ham.
Blessed is the man who remains firm under temptation, for, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 Ingen sige, når han fristes: "Jeg fristes af Gud;" thi Gud kan ikke fristes af det onde, og selv frister han ingen;
Let no one say, when he is tempted, “It is God who is tempting me!” For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt any one.
14 men enhver fristes, når han drages og lokkes af sin egen Begæring;
A man is in every case tempted by his own passions — allured and enticed by them.
15 derefter, når Begæringen har undfanget, føder den Synd, men når Synden er fuldvoksen, føder den Død.
Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death.
16 Farer ikke vild, mine elskede Brødre!
Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers.
17 Al god Gave og al fuldkommen Gave er ovenfra og kommer ned fra Lysenes Fader, hos hvem der ikke er Forandring eller skiftende Skygge.
Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.
18 Efter sin Villie fødte han os ved Sandheds Ord, for at vi skulde være en Førstegrøde af hans Skabninger.
Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations.
19 I vide det, mine elskede Brødre. Men hvert Menneske være snar til at høre, langsom til at tale, langsom til Vrede;
Mark this, my dear Brothers — Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
20 thi en Mands Vrede udretter ikke det, som er ret for Gud.
for the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God.
21 Derfor, aflægger alt Smuds og Levning af Slethed, og modtager med Sagtmodighed Ordet, som er indplantet i eder, og som formår at frelse eders Sjæle.
Therefore, have done with all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that Message which has been planted in your hearts and is able to save your souls.
22 Men vorder Ordets Gørere og ikke alene dets Hørere, hvormed I bedrage eder selv.
Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it — deceiving yourselves.
23 Thi dersom nogen er Ordets Hører og ikke dets Gører, han ligner en Mand, der betragter sit legemlige Ansigt i et Spejl;
For, when any one listens to it and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror.
24 thi han betragter sig selv og går bort og glemmer straks, hvor dan han var.
He looks at himself, then goes on his way,
25 Men den, som skuer ind i Frihedens fuldkomne Lov og holder ved dermed, så han ikke bliver en glemsom Tilhører, men en Gerningens Gører, han skal være salig i sin Gerning.
but he who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of Freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice — that man will be blessed in what he does.
26 Dersom nogen synes, at han dyrker Gud, og ikke holder sin Tunge i Tømme, men bedrager sit Hjerte, hans Gudsdyrkelse er forgæves.
When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man’s religious observances are valueless.
27 En ren og ubesmittet Gudsdyrkelse for Gud og Faderen er dette, at besøge faderløse og Enker i deres Trængsel, at holde sig selv uplettet af Verden.
That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this — to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.
