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 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 encounter various trials,
Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
4 Let endurance have its 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 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.
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, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
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 let that person not think 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 He is a double-minded person, unstable in all his ways.
For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
9 But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;
But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
10 and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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 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, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, 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 deceived, my beloved brothers.
Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
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 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 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.
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 This you know, my beloved brothers. But let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak, and 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 human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.
21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which 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 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.
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;
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 sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person 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 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 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 himself to be religious while he does not control his tongue, but deceives his heart, this one's religion is worthless.
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 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 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.
