ヤコブの手紙 1
1 神及び我主イエズス、キリストの僕ヤコボ、離散せる十二族に挨拶す。
James, a Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the Twelve Tribes that are living abroad.
2 第一項 患難及び誘惑に於る忍耐を勧む 我兄弟等よ、汝等種々の試に陥りたる時は、之を最も喜ぶべき事と思へ。
My Brothers, whatever may be the temptations that beset you from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
3 其は汝等の信仰の試は、忍耐を生ずるを知ればなり。
knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
4 然れど汝等が完全無缺にして、何事も乏しき所なからん為に、忍耐は完全なる業を為さざるべからず。
And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect deficient.
5 汝等の中に知識を要する人あらば、誰をも咎めめ給はずして吝なく賜ふ神に願ひ奉るべし、然らば與へられん。
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.
6 但疑ふ事なく信仰を以て願はざるべからず、蓋疑ふ者は風に動かされて、漂へる海の波に似たれば、
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 —
7 斯る人は主より何物をも受けんと期する事勿れ、
Such a man must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 是二心ある人にして、其凡ての道に於て定まり無ければなり。
vacillating as he is, irresolute at every turn.
9 兄弟の卑き者は其高められしを大いに喜ぶべく、
Let a Brother in humble circumstances be proud of his exalted position, but a rich Brother of his humiliation;
10 富める者は、己が卑きによりて喜ぶべし。是将に草の花の如くに過ぎんとすればなり。
for the rich man will pass away ‘like the flower of the grass.’
11 夫日出でて焦くれば、草は枯れて其花は落ち、其面の美しさは失せたり。富める者の其道に於て凋むべき事も亦斯の如し。
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.
12 試を忍ぶ人は福なり、其は鍛錬を経て後、神の己を愛奉る人々に約し給ひし生命の冠を得べければなり。
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.
13 誰も誘はるるに當りて、神より誘はると謂ふべからず。蓋神は惡に誘はれ給ふ事能はざれば、誰をも誘ひ給ふ事なし。
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.
14 各の誘はるるは、己の慾に惹かれ惑はされてなり、
A man is in every case tempted by his own passions — allured and enticed by them.
15 斯て慾の孕むや罪を産み、罪の全うせらるるや死を生ず。
Then Passion conceives and gives birth to Sin, and Sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth Death.
16 然れば我至愛なる兄弟等よ、過つ事勿れ、
Do not be deceived, my dear Brothers.
17 総て善き賜と完全なる恵とは上よりして、變更なく回転の影なき光の父より降る。
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.
18 蓋被造物の初穂の如きものたらしめん為に、御心よりして眞理の言を以て我等を生み給ひしなり。
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.
19 第二項 活動する信仰の必要 我至愛なる兄弟等よ、汝等は知れり、人総て聞くに疾く、語るに遅かるべし。
Mark this, my dear Brothers — Let every one be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
20 其は人の怒は神の義を為さざればなり。
for the anger of man does not forward the righteous purpose of God.
21 然れば汝等一切の穢らはしき事と、夥しき惡事とを脱棄て、汝等に植ゑられて汝等の霊魂を救ふべき御言を穏に承容れよ。
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.
22 斯て汝等自ら欺きて聴聞者たるに止らず、言の實行者と成れ。
Put that Message into practice, and do not merely listen to it — deceiving yourselves.
23 蓋人もし言の聴聞者にして實行者に非ずば、鏡に寫して生來の顔を見る人に似たるべし。
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.
24 即ち己が姿を見て退くや、直に其如何に在りしかを忘る。
He looks at himself, then goes on his way,
25 然れども自由の完全なる律法を鑑みて之に止る者は、忘れ勝ちなる聴聞者と成らずして業の實行者と成る。斯る人は、其為す所に由りて福なるべし。
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.
26 人若自ら宗教家なりと思ひつつ、其舌を制せずして己が心を欺かば、其宗教は無益なり。
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.
27 父にて在す神の御前に潔くして穢れなき宗教は、孤児寡婦を其困難に當りて訪問し、自ら守りて世間に穢されざる事是なり。
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.
