Semisi 1
1 Ko au Semisi, ko e tamaioʻeiki ʻae ʻOtua, pea mo e ʻEiki ko Sisu Kalaisi, ki he faʻahinga ʻe hongofulu ma ua kuo fakahē mamaʻo, ʻofa atu.
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: to the twelve tribes who are scattered over the world. All good wishes.
2 ʻE hoku kāinga, ʻoka mou ka tō ki he ngaahi ʻahiʻahi kehekehe, ui ia kotoa pē ko e meʻa fakafiefia;
Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.
3 ʻO ʻilo, ko e ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻo hoʻomou tui, ʻoku ne fakatupu ʻae kātaki.
Be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.
4 Kae tuku ʻae kātaki ke ngāue ki he haohaoa, koeʻuhi ke mou haohaoa mo māʻopoʻopo, ʻo taʻemasiva ʻi ha meʻa.
Only let endurance have perfect results so that you may become perfect and complete, deficient in nothing.
5 Ka ai hamou taha ʻoku masiva ʻi he poto, ke kole ʻe ia ki he ʻOtua, ʻaia ʻoku ne foaki lahi ki he kakai kotoa pē, pea ʻoku ʻikai valokiʻi; pea ʻe foaki ia kiate ia.
And if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives with open hand to all men, and without upbraiding; and it will be given him.
6 Ka ʻe lelei ʻene kole ʻi he tui, ʻo taʻefakataʻetaʻetui. He ko ia ʻoku fakataʻetaʻetui ʻoku hangē ia ko e peau ʻoe tahi ʻoku fakateka mo feliliʻaki ʻe he matangi.
But let him ask in faith and have no doubts; for he who has doubts is like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed into spray.
7 Ke ʻoua naʻa mahalo ʻe he tangata ko ia ʻe maʻu ʻe ia ha meʻa mei he ʻEiki.
A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--
8 Ko e tangata ʻoku lotolotoua, ʻoku taʻemaau ʻi heʻene anga kotoa pē.
such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes.
9 Ke fiefia ʻae tokoua ʻoku masiva ʻi hono hakeakiʻi:
Let a brother in humble life rejoice when raised to a higher position;
10 Ka ko e maʻumeʻa, ʻi hono fakaangavaivaiʻi: koeʻuhi ʻe mole atu ia ʻo hangē ko e fisi ʻoe mohuku.
but a rich man should rejoice in being brought low, for like flowers among the herbage rich men will pass away.
11 He ʻoku ʻalu hake ʻae laʻā mo e vela lahi, pea ne fakamae ʻae mohuku, pea ngangana ai hono fisi ʻoʻona, pea ʻauha mo e fakaʻofoʻofa ʻo hono ngaohi: ʻe pehē foki ʻae ʻauha ʻoe tangata koloaʻia mei hono hala.
The sun rises with his scorching heat and dries up the herbage, so that its flowers drop off and the beauty of its appearance perishes, and in the same way rich men with all their prosperity will fade away.
12 ʻOku monūʻia ʻae tangata ʻoku ne kātaki ʻae ʻahiʻahi: he ʻoka ʻilo ia ʻoku lelei, ʻe maʻu ʻe ia ʻae pale ʻoe moʻui, ʻaia kuo talaʻofa ki ai ʻae ʻEiki kiate kinautolu ʻoku ʻofa kiate ia.
Blessed is he who patiently endures trials; for when he has stood the test, he will gain the victor's crown--even the crown of Life--which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Ke ʻoua naʻa pehē ʻe ha taha ʻoka ʻahiʻahi [koviʻi ]ia, Kuo ʻahiʻahi [koviʻi ]au ʻe he ʻOtua: he ʻoku ʻikai faʻa ʻahiʻahiʻi ʻae ʻOtua ʻe he kovi, pea ʻoku ʻikai ʻahiʻahi[koviʻi ]ʻe ia ha tokotaha:
Let no one say when passing through trial, "My temptation is from God;" for God is incapable of being tempted to do evil, and He Himself tempts no one.
14 Ka kuo ʻahiʻahi [koviʻi ]ʻae tangata, ʻaia kuo takiekina, pea fakaoloolo, ʻe heʻene holi ʻaʻana.
But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.
15 Pea ʻoka tuituʻia ʻae holi kovi, ʻoku fanauʻi ko e angahala: pea ka kakato ʻae angahala, ʻoku fanauʻi ai ʻae mate.
Then the passion conceives, and becomes the parent of sin; and sin, when fully matured, gives birth to death.
16 ʻE hoku kāinga ʻofeina, ʻoua naʻa mou hē.
Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.
17 Ko e foaki lelei kotoa pē mo e foaki haohaoa kotoa pē ʻoku mei ʻolunga, pea ʻoku ʻalu hifo ia mei he Tamai ʻoe ngaahi maama, ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai ʻi ai ha fetoʻoaki, pe ko e ʻata ʻae feliliuʻaki.
Every gift which is good, and every perfect boon, is from above, and comes down from the Father, who is the source of all Light. In Him there is no variation nor the slightest suggestion of change.
18 Pea ko hono finangalo pe ʻoʻona naʻa ne fakatupu ai ʻakitautolu ʻaki ʻae folofola ʻoe moʻoni, koeʻuhi ke tau hoko ko e ʻuluaki fua ʻi hono kakai.
In accordance with His will He made us His children through the Message of the truth, so that we might, in a sense, be the Firstfruits of the things which He has created.
19 Ko ia, ko hoku kāinga ʻofeina, ke fakavave ʻae tangata kotoa pē ki he fanongo, pea fakatuotuai ki he lea, ʻo fakatotoka ki he ʻita:
You know this, my dearly-loved brethren. But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.
20 He ʻoku ʻikai ke fakatupu ʻae māʻoniʻoni ʻoe ʻOtua ʻe he ʻita ʻae tangata.
For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.
21 Ko ia mou liʻaki ʻae ʻuli kotoa pē pea mo hono lahi fau ʻoe angahala, pea tali ʻi he angavaivai ʻae folofola kuo tō, ʻaia ʻoku mālohi ke fakamoʻui homou laumālie.
Ridding yourselves, therefore, of all that is vile and of the evil influences which prevail around you, welcome in a humble spirit the Message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.
22 Ka ke fai ʻekimoutolu ki he folofola, pea ʻoua naʻa ngata ʻi he fanongo, ʻo mou kākaaʻi ʻakimoutolu.
But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.
23 He kapau ʻoku fanongo ʻe ha taha ki ne folofola, kae ʻikai fai, ʻoku tatau ia mo ha taha ʻoku ne fakasio ki he mata ʻo hono sino ʻi ha sioʻata:
For if any one listens but does not obey, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own face in a mirror.
24 He ʻoku ne fakasio kiate ia, pea ʻalu, pea ngalo leva ʻiate ia pe ʻoku matamata fēfē ia.
Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
25 Ka ko ia ʻoku sio fakamamaʻu ki he fono haohaoa ʻoe tauʻatāina, pea fai maʻuaipē ki ai, pea ʻoku ʻikai fanongo mo ngalo, ka ʻoku fai ʻe ia ʻae ngāue, ʻe monūʻia ʻae tangata ni ʻi heʻene ngāue.
But he who looks closely into the perfect Law--the Law of freedom--and continues looking, he, being not a hearer who forgets, but an obedient doer, will as the result of his obedience be blessed.
26 Kapau ʻoku ai ha taha ʻiate kimoutolu ʻoku ne mahalo ko e lotu ia, kae ʻikai taʻofi hono ʻelelo, kae kākaaʻi hono loto ʻoʻona, ʻoku taʻeʻaonga ʻae lotu ʻae tangata ko ia.
If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.
27 Ko e lotu māʻoniʻoni mo taʻehanomele ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua ko e Tamai, ko eni ia, Ke ʻaʻahi ki he ngaahi tamai mate mo e kau fefine kuo mate honau husepāniti, ʻi heʻenau mamahi, pea ke fakaʻehiʻehi ia mei māmani ke taʻehanomele.
The religious service which is pure and stainless in the sight of our God and Father is to visit fatherless children and widowed women in their time of trouble, and to keep one's own self unspotted from the world.
