James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are in 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 Count [it] all joy, my brothers, when you may fall into manifold temptations,
Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
3 knowing that the proof of your faith works endurance,
Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
4 and let the endurance have a perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.
5 And if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all generously, and not reproaching, 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 let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he who is doubting has been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed;
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 for do not let that man suppose that he will receive anything from the LORD—
Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord;
8 a soul-split man [is] unstable in all his ways.
For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
9 And let the brother who is low rejoice in his exaltation,
But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
10 but the rich in his becoming low, because he will pass away as a flower of grass;
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 rose with the burning heat, and withered the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the beauty of its appearance perished, so also the rich in his way will fade away!
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 endures temptation, because, becoming approved, he will receive the garland of life, which the LORD promised to those loving 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 Let no one who is being tempted say, “I am tempted from God,” for God is not tempted by evils, and Himself tempts no one,
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, being led away and enticed by his own desires;
But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
15 afterward the desire having conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin having been perfected, brings forth 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 led astray, my beloved brothers.
Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
17 Every good giving, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;
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 having willed [it], He begot us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.
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 So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, 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 the wrath of a man does not work the righteousness of God;
For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.
21 for this reason, having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, receive the implanted word in meekness, that is able to 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 and become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves,
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.
23 because, if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one has been like to a man viewing his natural 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 for he viewed himself, and has gone away, and immediately he forgot what kind of [man] he was;
For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.
25 but he who looked into [the] perfect law—that of liberty, and continued there, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of work—this one will be blessed in his doing.
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 thinks to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, the religion of this one [is] vain;
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 religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation—to keep himself unspotted from 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.
