James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.
James, a slave of God and of Sovereign Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are in the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
but let that endurance have a complete work, so that you may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from the giving God, who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.
However, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, because he who doubts is like a sea wave driven and tossed by the wind—
7 For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
such a man should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;
Now the lowly brother should glory in his high position,
10 and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
but the rich brother in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass.
11 For the sun arises with the scorching wind and withers the grass; and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So the rich man will also fade away in his pursuits.
For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes. Just so the rich man will be withered in his undertakings.
12 Blessed is a person who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who love him.
A man who endures testing is blessed, because upon becoming approved he will receive the crown of the life that the Lord has promised to those loving Him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Let no one, upon being tempted, say, “I am being tempted by God,” because God is untemptable by evil, so He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.
But each one is tempted by his own craving, being taken in tow and enticed.
15 Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death.
Then the craving, upon conceiving, gives birth to sin, and the sin, upon completion, delivers death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers:
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow.
every good giving and every perfect gift is from Above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
Having willed it, He brought us forth by a word of truth, so that we might be a sort of firstfruits of His products.
19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
because a man's anger does not achieve God's righteousness.
21 Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and overflow of evil, receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
Further, become word doers and not just hearers, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;
Because if anyone is a law hearer and not a doer, the same is like a man observing his physical face in a mirror;
24 for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
for he observes himself, then goes away and promptly forgets what he is like.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.
But he who looks carefully into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, he—not being a forgetful hearer but a work doer—he will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, his religion is useless.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Pure and undefiled religion before God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity; to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
