James 1
1 James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the Twelve Tribes that are living abroad.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Diaspora: Greetings.
2 My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
3 knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient.
Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 If one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to every one without reproaches, and it will be given to him.
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault; and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask with confidence, never doubting; for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven hither and thither at the mercy of the wind —
But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
For let that person not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
8 vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn.
He is a double-minded person, unstable in all his ways.
9 Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation;
But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;
10 for the rich man will pass away ‘like the flower of the grass.’
and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
11 As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, ‘the grass withers, its flower fades,’ and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich man. In the midst of his pursuits he will come to an untimely end.
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 also will the rich person fade away in his pursuits.
12 Blessed is the man who remains firm under temptation, for, when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of Life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which he promised to those who love him.
13 Let no one say, when he is tempted, “It is God who is tempting me!” For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt any one.
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 A man is in every case tempted by his own passions — allured and enticed by them.
But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death.
Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
17 Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Maker of the Lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.
All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
18 Because he so willed, he gave us Life, through the Message of the Truth, so that we should be, as it were, an earnest of still further creations.
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19 Mark this, my dear Brothers — Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
This you know, my beloved brothers. But let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
20 for the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God.
for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore, have done with all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that Message which has been planted in your hearts and is able to save your souls.
Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it — deceiving yourselves.
But be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves.
23 For, when any one listens to it and does not practice it, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his natural face in a mirror;
24 He looks at himself, then goes on his way,
for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
25 but he who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of Freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice — that man will be blessed in what he does.
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 person will be blessed in what he does.
26 When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man’s religious observances are valueless.
If anyone thinks himself to be religious while he does not control his tongue, but deceives his heart, this one's religion is worthless.
27 That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this — to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.
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.
