James 1
1 James, a servant, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, —unto the twelve tribes that are in the dispersion, Wishes joy.
James the servant of God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2 All Joy, account it, my brethren, whensoever ye fall in with, manifold, temptations, —
My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers temptations;
3 Taking note, that, the proving of your faith, worketh out endurance;
Knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let, your endurance, have, mature work, that ye may be mature and complete, in nothing, coming short.
And patience hath a perfect work; that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.
5 But, if any of you is sinning short of wisdom, let him be asking of God, Who giveth unto all freely and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him;
But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him be asking in faith, nothing, doubting, for, he that doubteth, is like a wave of the sea, wind-driven and storm-tossed, —
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord—
Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A two-souled man, unstable in all his ways.
A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways.
9 But boasting be the lowly brother in his uplifting;
But let the brother of low condition glory in his exaltation:
10 Whereas the rich, in his being brought low, —because, as a flower of grass, he will pass away;
And the rich, in his being low; because as the flower of the grass shall he pass away.
11 For the sun hath sprung up, with it scorching heat, and hath withered the grass, and, the flower thereof, hath fallen out, and, the beauty of the face thereof, hath perished, —so, also the rich, in his goings, shall languish.
For the sun rose with a burning heat, and parched the grass, and the flower thereof fell off, and the beauty of the shape thereof perished: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Happy the man who endureth temptation! Because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of life—which he hath promised unto them that love him.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let, no one, while tempted, be saying—From God, am I tempted, —for, God, cannot be tempted by things evil, and, himself, tempteth no one;
Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of evils, and he tempteth no man.
14 But, each one, is tempted, when, by his own coveting, he is drawn out and enticed,
But every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured.
15 Then, the coveting, having conceived, giveth birth to sin, and, the sin, when full-grown, bringeth forth death.
Then when concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But sin, when it is completed, begetteth death.
16 Be not deceived, my brethren beloved: —
Do not err, therefore, my dearest brethren.
17 Every good giving, and every perfect gift, is, from above, coming down from the Father of lights—with whom is no alternation, nor shadow cast, by turning:
Every best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration.
18 Because he was so minded, he hath brought us forth with a word of truth, to the end we should be a sort of firstfruit of his creatures
For of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creatures.
19 Ye know, my brethren beloved, —but let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger.
20 For, man’s anger, worketh not, God’s righteousness.
For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God.
21 Wherefore, putting away all filthiness and overflow of baseness, in meekness, welcome ye the word fitted for inward growth, which is able to save your souls:
Wherefore casting away all uncleanness, and abundance of naughtiness, with meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 Become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only—reasoning yourselves astray;
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 Because, if any is, a word-hearer, and not a doer, the same, is like unto a man observing his natural face in a mirror, —
For if a man be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass.
24 For he observed himself, and is gone away, and, straightway, it hath escaped him, —what manner of man, he was!
For he beheld himself, and went his way, and presently forgot what manner of man he was.
25 But, he that hath obtained a nearer view into the perfect law of liberty, and hath taken up his abode by it, becoming—not a forgetful hearer, but a work doer, the same, happy in his doing, shall be.
But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty, and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work; this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any thinketh he is observant of religion, not curbing his own tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this one’s, religious observance is, vain:
And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Religious observance, pure and undefiled with our God and Father, is, this—to be visiting orphans and widows in their affliction, unspotted, to keep, himself, from the world.
Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one’s self unspotted from this world.
