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 in dispersion sendeth greeting.
2 Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
Account it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various trials:
3 Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh patience;
4 Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
but let patience have it's perfect work, that ye may be entirely perfect, failing in 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.
And if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth 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 doubting; for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea blown about and tossed by the wind.
7 A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing from the Lord.
8 such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
A double-minded man is inconstant in all his ways.
9 Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
Let the brother that is low rejoice in his exaltation: but the rich in his humiliation,
10 but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
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 when the sun is risen with it's sultry heat, it drieth up the grass, and the flower of, it falleth, and the beauty of it's appearance is lost: so shall the rich man fade away in his projects.
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.
Happy is the man who sustaineth temptation; for being approved he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath 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 one that is tempted say, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted by evils, and He tempteth no one.
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 drawn aside and insnared by his own vehement desire.
15 Then the passion conceives, and becomes the parent of sin; and sin, when fully matured, gives birth to death.
Then desire having conceived bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
Be not therefore deceived, my beloved brethren: for every good gift,
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.
and every perfect gift, but no evil one, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, nor 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.
who hath of his own will begotten us by the word of truth, that we might 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.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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 doth not practise 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.
Laying aside therefore all filthiness, and excess of malice, receive with meekness the implanted 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 doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
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 a man beholding his natural face in a mirror,
24 Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
who beheld himself, and went away, and immediately forgot 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 he that looketh well into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, 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 among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, this man's devotion 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 and uncorrupt religion before God and our Father is this, to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
