James 5
1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
Listen to me, you rich men, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming upon you!
2 Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
Your riches have wasted away, and your clothes have become moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.
Your gold and silver are rusted; and the rust on them shall be evidence against you, and shall eat into your very flesh. It was fire, so to speak, that you stored up for yourselves in these last days.
4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
I tell you, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you have been fraudulently keeping back, are crying out against you, and the outcries of your reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts!
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.
You have lived on earth a life of extravagance and luxury; you have indulged your fancies in a time of bloodshed.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
You have condemned, you have murdered, the Righteous One! Must not God be opposed to you?
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
Be patient, then, Brothers, till the Coming of the Lord. Even the farmer has to wait for the precious fruit of the earth, watching over it patiently, till it has had the spring and summer rains.
8 You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
And you must be patient also, and not be discouraged; for the Lord’s Coming is near.
9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
Do not make complaints against one another, Brothers, or judgment will be passed upon you. The Judge is already standing at the door!
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Brothers, as an example of the patient endurance of suffering, take the Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
We count those who displayed such endurance blessed! You have heard, too, of Job’s endurance, and have seen what the Lord’s purpose was, for ‘the Lord is full of pity and compassion.’
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
Above all things, my Brothers, never take an oath, either by heaven, or by earth, or by anything else. With you let ‘Yes’ suffice for yes, and ‘No’ for no, so that you may escape condemnation.
13 Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
If any of you is in trouble, let him pray; if any one is happy, let him sing hymns.
14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
If any one of you is ill, let him send for the Officers of the Church, and let them pray over him, after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
The prayer offered in faith will save the man who is sick, and the Lord will raise him from his bed; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be cured. Great is the power of a good man’s fervent prayer.
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Elijah was only a man like ourselves, but, when he prayed fervently that it might not rain, no rain fell upon the land for three years and a half.
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
And, when he prayed again, the clouds brought rain, and the land bore crops.
19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
My Brothers, should one of you be led astray from the Truth, and someone bring him back again,
20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
be sure that he who brings a sinner back from his mistaken ways will save that man’s soul from Death, and throw a veil over countless sins.
