Jacques 1
1 Jacques, esclave de Dieu et du seigneur Jésus Christ, aux douze tribus qui sont dans la dispersion, salut!
[I], James, am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [I am writing this letter] to [all] the Jewish people [who trust in Christ] (OR, to all God’s people) who are scattered throughout the world. [I send my] greetings to [you all].
2 Estimez-le comme une parfaite joie, mes frères, quand vous serez en butte à diverses tentations,
My fellow believers, rejoice greatly, [even] when you experience various kinds of difficulties/troubles.
3 sachant que l’épreuve de votre foi produit la patience.
[God sometimes allows you to experience difficulties in order to] test whether or not you will continue to trust [him. Whenever that happens, you need to] realize more and more that [if you continue to trust him], you will be able to bravely/patiently endure difficulties.
4 Mais que la patience ait son œuvre parfaite, afin que vous soyez parfaits et accomplis, ne manquant de rien.
Keep on enduring difficulties [bravely/patiently by trusting God more and more firmly] [PRS], in order that you may become all that he intends you to be [DOU] (OR, [spiritually] mature and complete), not lacking (any [good quality/anything you need to conduct your lives as God wants you to]).
5 Et si quelqu’un de vous manque de sagesse, qu’il demande à Dieu qui donne à tous libéralement et qui ne fait pas de reproches, et il lui sera donné;
If anyone of you does not know how to act wisely [in order to endure difficulties/trials well], he should ask God [to show him what he should do, because] God wholeheartedly/gladly helps all people [who ask] and does not scold [anyone for asking. Those who ask], God will give them wisdom to know [what they should do].
6 mais qu’il demande avec foi, ne doutant nullement; car celui qui doute est semblable au flot de la mer, agité par le vent et jeté çà et là;
But [when you] ask [God], you should firmly trust him. You should not doubt [that he wants to help you always], because people who keep doubting God are [unstable/changeable] [SIM] like a wave of the sea that is blown back and forth by the wind {that goes back and forth when the wind blows} [DOU, SIM].
7 or que cet homme-là ne pense pas qu’il recevra quoi que ce soit du Seigneur:
Indeed, people [who doubt] should not think that the Lord [God] will do anything [that they request him to do],
8 il est un homme incertain dans ses pensées, inconstant dans toutes ses voies.
[because they are] people who cannot decide [whether they will commit themselves to God, and they are] unstable/undecided in everything that they do.
9 Or que le frère de basse condition se glorifie dans son élévation,
Believers who are poor should be happy [that God] considers them very valuable (OR, has exalted them [spiritually]) [MTY].
10 et le riche dans son abaissement, car il passera comme la fleur de l’herbe.
And [believers] who are rich should be happy [that] they have humbled themselves [in order to trust in Jesus Christ] (OR, but rich people [can only] take pride [in the fact that God] will humble them [when he judges everyone] [IRO]), because they [and their riches] [MTY] will pass away, just like wild flowers [wither] [SIM].
11 Car le soleil s’est levé avec sa brûlante chaleur et a séché l’herbe, et sa fleur est tombée, et la grâce de sa forme a péri: ainsi aussi le riche se flétrira dans ses voies.
When the sun rises, the scorching hot wind dries plants, and their flowers fall and are no longer beautiful. Similarly, rich people will die [MET] while they are busy working, [leaving behind their riches].
12 Bienheureux est l’homme qui endure la tentation; car, quand il aura été manifesté fidèle par l’épreuve il recevra la couronne de vie, qu’Il a promise à ceux qui l’aiment.
[God] is pleased with people who bravely/patiently endure difficulties. And when, [by bravely enduring difficulties], they have proved [that they truly trust him], he will give them [eternal] life. That is the reward [MET] that he has promised to give to those who love him.
13 Que nul, quand il est tenté, ne dise: Je suis tenté par Dieu; – car Dieu ne peut être tenté par le mal, et lui ne tente personne.
If people are tempted to do something that is evil, they should not think that it is God who is tempting them, because [God is totally/completely good]. He never tempts anyone [to do what is evil], nor can he ever be tempted to [do anything] evil.
14 Mais chacun est tenté, étant attiré et amorcé par sa propre convoitise;
But people strongly desire to do evil [PRS] things, [and as a result] they are tempted by those desires {those desires stimulate them} to do something evil [PRS, DOU].
15 puis la convoitise, ayant conçu, enfante le péché; et le péché, étant consommé, produit la mort.
Then, [because] they have desired [MET] to do evil [PRS] things, they begin to [MET] do [PRS] them. And when they have become ones who [habitually] do what is evil [MET], [if they do not turn away from their sinful behavior], they will be separated from God forever.
16 Ne vous égarez pas, mes frères bien-aimés:
My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves, [thinking that God does evil things].
17 tout ce qui nous est donné de bon et tout don parfait descendent d’en haut, du Père des lumières, en qui il n’y a pas de variation ou d’ombre de changement.
[The truth is that God], our heavenly Father [MTY], does only good [DOU] things [for us, in order to help us become] all that he intends us to be. He is not like all the things [in the sky] that he created to give light, [because they] change; [that is, they do not shine the same all the time]. But God never changes. [He is always good].
18 De sa propre volonté, il nous a engendrés par la parole de la vérité, pour que nous soyons une sorte de prémices de ses créatures.
[And because] he wanted [to help us], he gave us [spiritual] life as a result of our [trusting in his] true message. So now we have become the first ones of [all the people] [MET] that he created [to] ([be totally dedicated to/completely belong to]) [him].
19 Ainsi, mes frères bien-aimés, que tout homme soit prompt à écouter, lent à parler, lent à la colère;
My fellow believers whom I love, you know (OR, I want you to now) that every one of you should be eager to pay attention to [God’s true message]. Don’t speak [without thinking], nor get angry easily,
20 car la colère de l’homme n’accomplit pas la justice de Dieu.
because when any one [of you gets] angry, you will not be doing the righteous things that God [wants] you [to do].
21 C’est pourquoi, rejetant toute saleté et tout débordement de malice, recevez avec douceur la parole implantée, qui a la puissance de sauver vos âmes.
So stop doing all kinds of evil [DOU] things, and humbly obey (OR, submit to) the message that [God] put in your (inner beings/hearts), [because] he is able to save you [SYN] [if you accept his message].
22 Mais mettez la parole en pratique, et ne l’écoutez pas seulement, vous séduisant vous-mêmes.
Do [what God commands in] his message. Do not only listen [to it, because people who only listen to it and do not obey it] are wrong when they think [that God will save them].
23 Car si quelqu’un écoute la parole et ne la met pas en pratique, il est semblable à un homme qui considère sa face naturelle dans un miroir;
Some people hear God’s message but do not do [what it says] [MET]. They are like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [SIM].
24 car il s’est considéré lui-même et s’en est allé, et aussitôt il a oublié quel il était.
Although he looks at himself, he goes away [from the mirror] and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25 Mais celui qui aura regardé de près dans la loi parfaite, celle de la liberté, et qui aura persévéré, n’étant pas un auditeur oublieux, mais un faiseur d’œuvre, celui-là sera bienheureux dans son faire.
But other people look closely at [God’s] message, which is perfect and which sets people free [to voluntarily do what God wants them to do]. And if they continue [to examine God’s message] and do not just hear it and then forget it, but do [what God tells them to do], God will bless them because of what they do.
26 Si quelqu’un pense être religieux et qu’il ne tienne pas sa langue en bride, mais séduise son cœur, le service religieux de cet homme est vain.
Some people think that they worship God in the right way, but they habitually say evil things [MTY]. Those people are wrong in thinking [SYN] [that they worship God rightly]. The fact is [that they] worship God (in vain/uselessly).
27 Le service religieux pur et sans tache devant Dieu le Père, est celui-ci: de visiter les orphelins et les veuves dans leur affliction, de se conserver pur du monde.
[One of the things that God has told us to do] is to take care of orphans and widows who suffer hardship. [Those who do that and] who do not think or act immorally like those who do not obey God [MTY] truly [DOU] worship God, [who is our] Father, and God approves of them.
