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 the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are scattered abroad: Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various temptations;
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you experience various trials,
3 knowing that the trying of your faith worketh endurance.
because you know 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.
And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking 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.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without 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.
But he must ask in faith without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven by the wind and tossed about.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord,
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8 a double-minded man as he is, unstable in all his ways.
A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree glory in that he is exalted;
The lowly brother should rejoice in being exalted,
10 but the rich, in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he will pass away.
and the rich man should rejoice in being made low, because he will pass away like a flower of 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 scorching heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance is lost. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits.
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.
Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love 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.
No one should say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God is not tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But each one is tempted when by his own lust he is led away and enticed;
But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires.
15 then lust, having conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin, when completed, bringeth forth death.
And when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. And when sin is fully grown, it brings forth 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 and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of 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.
Of his own will he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
So then, my beloved brothers, everyone should be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
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, putting aside all filthiness and rampant wickedness, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
But be doers of the word and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are 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;
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror.
24 for he beholds himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.
For he looks at himself and goes away, and then immediately forgets what he looks 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 into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts. 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 considers himself to be religious but does not bridle his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
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 our Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
