James 1
1 James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: to the twelve tribes who are scattered over the world. All good wishes.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations;
3 Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.
4 Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 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.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him.
6 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.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 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.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it wither the grass, and the flower thereof falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 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.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
13 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.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man:
14 But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then the passion conceives, and becomes the parent of sin; and sin, when fully matured, gives birth to death.
Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
Do not err, my beloved brothers.
17 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.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no ficklenss, neither shadow of turning.
18 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.
Of his own will fathered he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 You know this, my dearly-loved brethren. But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.
Why, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.
For the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God.
21 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.
Why lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.
But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any one listens but does not obey, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own face in a mirror.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like to a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was.
25 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.
But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 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.
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 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.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
