James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the twelve tribes that are living abroad.
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 My friends, whatever trials you may face from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
3 knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
4 And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect lacking.
Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
5 If any one of you lacks wisdom, they should ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to everyone without reproach, and it will be given to them.
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 they should ask with confidence, never doubting; for the person who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven here and there at the mercy of 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 Such a person must not expect that they will receive anything from the Lord,
A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
8 vacillating as they are, irresolute at every turn.
such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
9 Let a follower in humble circumstances be proud of their exalted position,
Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
10 but a rich follower of their humiliation; for the rich will pass away like a wild flower.
but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
11 As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, the plant withers, its flower fades, and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich. In the midst of their pursuits they will wither away.
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 person who remains firm under temptation, for, when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has 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 they are tempted, “It is God who is tempting me!” For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt anyone.
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 A man is in every case tempted by their own passions – allured and enticed by them.
But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.
15 Then passion conceives and gives birth to sin, and sin, on reaching maturity, 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 dear friends.
Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
17 Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Father of the lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.
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 Because he so willed, he gave us life, through the message of the truth, so that we should be, as it were, a kind of first fruits of his creation.
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 Mark this, my dear friends – Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
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 forward the righteous purpose of God.
For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.
21 Therefore, get rid of all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that message which has been planted in your hearts and 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 Put that message into practice, and do not merely listen to it – deceiving yourselves.
But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.
23 For, when anyone listens to it and does not practice it, they are like a person looking at their own 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 They look at themselves, then go on their way,
Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
25 but the person who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice – that person will be blessed in what they do.
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 When a person appears to be religious, yet does not bridle their tongue, but imposes on their own conscience, that person’s religious observances are valueless.
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 That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this – to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated 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.
