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 servant of God, and of our Lord Jesus the Messiah; to the twelve tribes dispersed among the Gentiles; greeting peace.
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Let it be all joy to you, my brethren, when ye enter into many and various trials.
3 Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
For ye know, that the trial of your faith, maketh you possess patience.
4 But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
And let patience have its perfect work, so that ye may be complete and perfect, and may lack 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.
And if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all freely, and reproacheth not; and it will be given 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.
But let him ask in faith, not hesitating: he who hesitateth is like the waves of the sea, which the wind agitateth.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
And let not that man expect to receive any thing of the Lord,
8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.
who is hesitating in his mind, and unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
And let the depressed brother rejoice, in his elevation;
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
and the rich, in his depression; because, like the flower of an herb, so he passeth away.
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 riseth in its heat, and drieth up the herb; and its flower falleth, and the beauty of its appearance perisheth: so also the rich man withereth in his ways.
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.
Blessed is the man who endureth temptations; so that when he is proved he may receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love 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 when he is tempted, say, I am tempted of God: for God is not tempted with evils, nor doth he tempt any man.
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
But every man is tempted by his own lust; and he lusteth, and is drawn away.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
And this his lust conceiveth, and bringeth forth sin; and sin, when mature, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Do not err, my beloved brethren.
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 and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom is no mutation, not even the shadow of change.
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
He saw fit, and begat us by the word of truth; that we might be the first-fruits of his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
And be ye, my beloved brethren, every one of you, swift to hear, and slow to speak; and slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Wherefore, remove far from you all impurity, and the abundance of wickedness; and, with meekness, receive the word that is implanted in our nature, which is able to vivify these your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only; and do not deceive 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:
For if any man shall be a hearer of the word, and not a doer of it, he will be like one who seeth his face in a mirror:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
for he seeth himself, and passeth on, and forgetteth what a man he was.
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 every one that looketh upon the perfect law of liberty and abideth in it, is not a hearer of something to be forgotten, but a doer of the things; and he will be blessed in his work.
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.
And if any one thinketh that he worshippeth God, and doth not restrain his tongue, but his heart deceiveth him; his worship is vain.
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.
For the worship that is pure and holy before God the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and that one keep himself unspotted from the world.
