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 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various temptations;
Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the trying of your faith worketh endurance.
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
4 But let endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting in nothing.
but let that endurance have a complete work, so that you may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.
5 But if any one of you is wanting in wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it will 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 doubting; for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven by 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 anything from the Lord,
such a man should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 a double-minded man as he is, unstable in all his ways.
being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree glory 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 will pass away.
but the rich brother in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass.
11 For the sun rose with its burning heat, and withered the grass, and its flower fell off, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also will 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 approved, he will receive the crown of life, which He 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 one when he is tempted, say, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he tempteth no one.
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 each one is tempted when by his own lust he is led away and enticed;
But each one is tempted by his own craving, being taken in tow and enticed.
15 then lust, having conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin, when completed, 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, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no change, nor shadow from 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 he begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits 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 put off all filthiness, and excess of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted 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 doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Further, become word doers and not just hearers, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if any one is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like 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 beholds himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.
for he observes himself, then goes away and promptly forgets what he is like.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and remains there, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man will 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 one thinks that he is religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives 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, the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep one's self 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.
