Jacques 1
1 Jacques, serviteur de Dieu et de Notre 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 Considérez comme sujet d’une joie complète, mes frères, lorsque vous tombez en 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 Or la patience rend les œuvres parfaites, de manière que vous soyez parfaits, accomplis, et 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 Que celui à qui manque la sagesse, la demande à Dieu qui donne à tous en abondance, et ne reproche rien, et elle lui sera donnée.
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, sans aucun doute; car celui qui doute est semblable au flot de la mer, qui est agité et poussé çà et là par le vent.
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 Que cet homme donc ne s’imagine pas recevoir quelque chose de Dieu.
Indeed, people [who doubt] should not think that the Lord [God] will do anything [that they request him to do],
8 L’homme double d’esprit est 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 Que celui de nos frères qui est dans l’abaissement se réjouisse de 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 de son abaissement, parce qu’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 ses ardeurs, et il a desséché l’herbe, et sa fleur est tombée, et le charme de sa beauté s’est évanoui: ainsi le riche, lui aussi, 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 l’homme qui souffre patiemment la tentation, parce qu’après avoir été éprouvé, il recevra la couronne de vie, que Dieu 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, lorsqu’il est tenté, ne dise que c’est Dieu qui le tente; car Dieu ne tente point pour le mal, et il ne tente lui-même 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 par sa concupiscence, qui l’entraîne et le séduit.
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 concupiscence lorsqu’elle a conçu, enfante le péché, et le péché, quand il a été consommé, engendre 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 y trompez donc point, mes frères bien-aimés.
My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves, [thinking that God does evil things].
17 Toute grâce excellente et tout don parfait vient d’en haut et descend du père des lumières, en qui il n’y a ni changement, ni ombre de vicissitudes.
[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 Car c’est volontairement qu’il nous a engendrés par la parole de vérité, afin que nous fussions comme les 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 Vous le savez, mes frères bien-aimés. Ainsi, que tout homme soit prompt à écouter, lent à parler, et 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’opère point 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 impureté et tout excès de malice, recevez avec docilité la parole entée en vous, qui peut 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 pratiquez cette parole, et ne l’écoutez pas seulement, vous trompant 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 pratique pas, celui-là sera comparé à un homme qui regarde dans un miroir le visage qu’il a reçu en naissant.
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 Il s’est regardé, 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 examine à fond la loi parfaite, la loi de la liberté, et qui s’y attache, n’écoutant pas pour oublier, mais pour agir, celui-là sera bienheureux dans ce qu’il fera.
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 croit être religieux, et ne met pas un frein à sa langue, mais séduit son propre cœur, sa religion est vaine.
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 La religion pure et sans tache devant Dieu le Père, la voici: Visiter les orphelins et les veuves dans leurs afflictions, et se conserver sans être souillé par ce siècle.
[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.
