James 1
1 James, servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the dispersion, greetings.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 My brothers, when you have fallen into various trials, consider everything a joy,
Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various temptations;
3 knowing that the proving of your faith exercises patience,
knowing that the trying of your faith worketh endurance.
4 and patience brings a work to perfection, so that you may be perfect and whole, deficient in nothing.
But let endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting in nothing.
5 But if anyone among you is in need of wisdom, let him petition God, who gives abundantly to all without reproach, and it shall be given to him.
But if any one of you is wanting in wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it will be given him.
6 But he should ask with faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave on the ocean, which is moved about by the wind and carried away;
But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
7 then a man should not consider that he would receive anything from the Lord.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord,
8 For a man who is of two minds is inconstant in all his ways.
a double-minded man as he is, unstable in all his ways.
9 Now a humble brother should glory in his exaltation,
Let the brother of low degree glory in that he is exalted;
10 and a rich one, in his humiliation, for he will pass away like the flower of the grass.
but the rich, in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun has risen with a scorching heat, and has dried the grass, and its flower has fallen off, and the appearance of its beauty has perished. So also will the rich one wither away, according to his paths.
For the sun rose with its burning heat, and withered the grass, and its flower fell off, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also will the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is approved, he will receive the crown of life, which He promised to them that love him.
13 No one should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself tempts no one.
Let no one when he is tempted, say, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he tempteth no one.
14 Yet truly, each one is tempted by his own desires, having been enticed and drawn away.
But each one is tempted when by his own lust he is led away and enticed;
15 Thereafter, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Yet truly sin, when it has been consummated, produces death.
then lust, having conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin, when completed, bringeth forth death.
16 And so, do not choose to go astray, my most beloved brothers.
Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no change, nor shadow from turning.
18 For by his own will he produced us through the Word of truth, so that we might be a kind of beginning among his creatures.
Of his own will he begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.
19 You know this, my most beloved brothers. So let every man be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to anger.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
20 For the anger of man does not accomplish the justice of God.
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Because of this, having cast away all uncleanness and an abundance of malice, receive with meekness the newly-grafted Word, which is able to save your souls.
Wherefore put off all filthiness, and excess of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 So be doers of the Word, and not listeners only, deceiving yourselves.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a listener of the Word, but not also a doer, he is comparable to a man gazing into a mirror upon the face that he was born with;
For if any one is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass;
24 and after considering himself, he went away and promptly forgot what he had seen.
for he beholds himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.
25 But he who gazes upon the perfect law of liberty, and who remains in it, is not a forgetful hearer, but instead a doer of the work. He shall be blessed in what he does.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and remains there, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in his deed.
26 But if anyone considers himself to be religious, but he does not restrain his tongue, but instead seduces his own heart: such a one’s religion is vanity.
If any one thinks that he is religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 This is religion, clean and undefiled before God the Father: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulations, and to keep yourself immaculate, apart from this age.
Pure religion and undefiled before God, the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep one's self unspotted from the world.
