< James 1 >
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends words of love to the twelve tribes of the Jews living in all parts of the earth.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.
5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.
6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind.
7 That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord;
8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
9 The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position.
But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
10 But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
But the man of wealth, that he is made low; because like the flower of the grass he will come to his end.
11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
For when the sun comes up with its burning heat, the grass gets dry and the grace of its form is gone with the falling flower; so the man of wealth comes to nothing in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.
Let no man say when he is tested, I am tested by God; for it is not possible for God to be tested by evil, and he himself puts no man to such a test:
14 But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
15 Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
Every good and true thing is given to us from heaven, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or any shade made by turning.
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.
Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.
19 My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;
20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.
For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.
21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation.
22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.
23 For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass;
24 and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.
25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts.
26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.
If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.