James 1
1 James, a servant, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, —unto the twelve tribes that are in the dispersion, Wishes joy.
James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the Twelve Tribes that are living abroad.
2 All Joy, account it, my brethren, whensoever ye fall in with, manifold, temptations, —
My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
3 Taking note, that, the proving of your faith, worketh out endurance;
knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
4 But let, your endurance, have, mature work, that ye may be mature and complete, in nothing, coming short.
And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient.
5 But, if any of you is sinning short of wisdom, let him be asking of God, Who giveth unto all freely and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him;
If one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to every one without reproaches, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him be asking in faith, nothing, doubting, for, he that doubteth, is like a wave of the sea, wind-driven and storm-tossed, —
But let him ask with confidence, never doubting; for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven hither and thither at the mercy of the wind —
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord—
Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 A two-souled man, unstable in all his ways.
vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn.
9 But boasting be the lowly brother in his uplifting;
Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation;
10 Whereas the rich, in his being brought low, —because, as a flower of grass, he will pass away;
for the rich man will pass away ‘like the flower of the grass.’
11 For the sun hath sprung up, with it scorching heat, and hath withered the grass, and, the flower thereof, hath fallen out, and, the beauty of the face thereof, hath perished, —so, also the rich, in his goings, shall languish.
As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, ‘the grass withers, its flower fades,’ and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich man. In the midst of his pursuits he will come to an untimely end.
12 Happy the man who endureth temptation! Because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of life—which he hath promised unto them that love him.
Blessed is the man who remains firm under 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, while tempted, be saying—From God, am I tempted, —for, God, cannot be tempted by things evil, and, himself, tempteth no one;
Let no one say, when he is tempted, “It is God who is tempting me!” For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt any one.
14 But, each one, is tempted, when, by his own coveting, he is drawn out and enticed,
A man is in every case tempted by his own passions — allured and enticed by them.
15 Then, the coveting, having conceived, giveth birth to sin, and, the sin, when full-grown, bringeth forth death.
Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death.
16 Be not deceived, my brethren beloved: —
Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers.
17 Every good giving, and every perfect gift, is, from above, coming down from the Father of lights—with whom is no alternation, nor shadow cast, by turning:
Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.
18 Because he was so minded, he hath brought us forth with a word of truth, to the end we should be a sort of firstfruit of his creatures
Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations.
19 Ye know, my brethren beloved, —but let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
Mark this, my dear Brothers — Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
20 For, man’s anger, worketh not, God’s righteousness.
for the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God.
21 Wherefore, putting away all filthiness and overflow of baseness, in meekness, welcome ye the word fitted for inward growth, which is able to save your souls:
Therefore, have done with 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.
22 Become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only—reasoning yourselves astray;
Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it — deceiving yourselves.
23 Because, if any is, a word-hearer, and not a doer, the same, is like unto a man observing his natural face in a mirror, —
For, when any one listens to it and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror.
24 For he observed himself, and is gone away, and, straightway, it hath escaped him, —what manner of man, he was!
He looks at himself, then goes on his way,
25 But, he that hath obtained a nearer view into the perfect law of liberty, and hath taken up his abode by it, becoming—not a forgetful hearer, but a work doer, the same, happy in his doing, shall be.
but he 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 man will be blessed in what he does.
26 If any thinketh he is observant of religion, not curbing his own tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this one’s, religious observance is, vain:
When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man’s religious observances are valueless.
27 Religious observance, pure and undefiled with our God and Father, is, this—to be visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, unspotted, to keep, himself, from the world.
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.
