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, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in the dispersion: Hail!
2 Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
All joy count [it], my brethren, when ye may fall into temptations manifold;
3 Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
knowing that the proof of your faith doth work endurance,
4 Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
and let the endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire — in nothing lacking;
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 do lack wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all liberally, and not reproaching, and it shall be given to 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.
and let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed,
7 A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
for let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord —
8 such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
a two-souled man [is] unstable in all his ways.
9 Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
And let the brother who is low rejoice in his exaltation,
10 but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
and the rich in his becoming low, because as a flower of 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 did rise with the burning heat, and did wither the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the grace of its appearance did perish, so also the rich in his way shall fade away!
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 the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving 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 say, being tempted — 'From God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself doth tempt no one,
14 But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.
and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed,
15 Then the passion conceives, and becomes the parent of sin; and sin, when fully matured, gives birth to death.
afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
Be not led astray, my brethren beloved;
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 giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or 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.
having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit 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.
So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
20 For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.
for the wrath of a man the righteousness of God doth not work;
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.
wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that 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.
and become ye 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.
because, if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one hath been like to a man viewing 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.
for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind 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.
and he who did look into the perfect law — that of liberty, and did continue there, this one — not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work — this one shall be happy in his doing.
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 one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain [is] the religion;
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.
religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation — unspotted to keep himself from the world.
