James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
James, a slave of God and of Sovereign Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are in the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
but let that endurance have a complete work, so that you may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from the giving God, who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
However, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, because he who doubts is like a sea wave driven and tossed by the wind—
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
such a man should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
Now the lowly brother should glory in his high position,
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
but the rich brother in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes. Just so the rich man will be withered in his undertakings.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
A man who endures testing is blessed, because upon becoming approved he will receive the crown of the life that the Lord has promised to those loving Him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Let no one, upon being tempted, say, “I am being tempted by God,” because God is untemptable by evil, so He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
But each one is tempted by his own craving, being taken in tow and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Then the craving, upon conceiving, gives birth to sin, and the sin, upon completion, delivers death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
every good giving and every perfect gift is from Above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Having willed it, He brought us forth by a word of truth, so that we might be a sort of firstfruits of His products.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
because a man's anger does not achieve God's righteousness.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and overflow of evil, receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Further, become word doers and not just hearers, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Because if anyone is a law hearer and not a doer, the same is like a man observing his physical face in a mirror;
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
for he observes himself, then goes away and promptly forgets what he is like.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
But he who looks carefully into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, he—not being a forgetful hearer but a work doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, his religion is useless.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity; to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
