James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Diaspora: Greetings.
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: to the twelve tribes who are scattered over the world. All good wishes.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault; and it will be given to him.
And if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives with open hand to all men, and without upbraiding; and it will be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
But let him ask in faith and have no doubts; for he who has doubts is like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed into spray.
7 For let that person not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
8 He is a double-minded person, unstable in all his ways.
such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
9 But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;
Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
10 and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
11 For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich person fade away in his pursuits.
The sun rises with his scorching heat and dries up the herbage, so that its flowers drop off and the beauty of its appearance perishes, and in the same way rich men with all their prosperity will fade away.
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which he promised to those who love him.
Blessed is he who patiently endures trials; for when he has stood the test, he will gain the victor's crown--even the crown of Life--which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Let no one say when passing through trial, "My temptation is from God;" for God is incapable of being tempted to do evil, and He Himself tempts no one.
14 But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.
15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.
Then the passion conceives, and becomes the parent of sin; and sin, when fully matured, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
17 All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
Every gift which is good, and every perfect boon, is from above, and comes down from the Father, who is the source of all Light. In Him there is no variation nor the slightest suggestion of change.
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
In accordance with His will He made us His children through the Message of the truth, so that we might, in a sense, be the Firstfruits of the things which He has created.
19 This you know, my beloved brothers. But let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
You know this, my dearly-loved brethren. But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.
20 for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.
21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Ridding yourselves, therefore, of all that is vile and of the evil influences which prevail around you, welcome in a humble spirit the Message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his natural face in a mirror;
For if any one listens but does not obey, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own face in a mirror.
24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
25 But he who looks into the perfect Law of freedom, and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this person will be blessed in what he does.
But he who looks closely into the perfect Law--the Law of freedom--and continues looking, he, being not a hearer who forgets, but an obedient doer, will as the result of his obedience be blessed.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious while he does not control his tongue, but deceives his heart, this one's religion is worthless.
If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The religious service which is pure and stainless in the sight of our God and Father is to visit fatherless children and widowed women in their time of trouble, and to keep one's own self unspotted from the world.
