The Letter of James
Greeting
1 James, a servant of God and our Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you all fall into trials of various kinds 3 since you all know the test of your faith producesa patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work in order that you all may be perfect and completeb, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you all lack wisdom, ask God, who gives to everyone generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But ask in faith, not doubting, for the one doubting is like a wave of the sea being tossed and driven by the wind. 7 For do not let that man thinkc that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double—mindedd man, unstable in all his ways.
9 But let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation because, like a flower of the grass, he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls, and the beauty of its face perishes. So also the rich man will fade in the midst of his ways.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptatione because, after being approved, he will receive the crown of life which He promised to those loving Him. 13 No one say while he is being tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God is untemptable with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted by his own desire while being enticed and entrapped. 15 Then the desire, after conceiving, brings forth sin, but the sin, after being fully grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceivedf, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variationg or shadow of turning. 18 After willing, He brought us forth by the word of truth that we be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
Hearing and Doing the Word
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, after putting away all filthiness and abundant malice, receive in meekness the implanted word, being able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Since if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking intently at his natural face in the mirror. 24 For he looked intently at himself and has gone away and immediately forgot what he was like. 25 But the one after looking into the perfect law of liberty and persevering, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and is not bridling his tongue but is deceiving his heart, this person's religion is futile. 27 Religion pure and undefiled before God and Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulations and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
The Sin of Partiality
2 My brothers, do not show favoritism, having the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man comes to your synagogue with a gold ring and magnificent clothing, and a poor man also comes in shabby clothing, 3 and if you all look favorably on the one wearing magnificent clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor man you all say, “You stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4 did you all not discriminate within yourselves and become judges of evil reasoning?h 5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Has God not chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those loving Him? 6 But you all have dishonored the poor man. Are the rich not the ones oppressing you all, and the ones dragging you all into court? 7 Are they not the ones blaspheming the good name by which you all were called?
8 If you all fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You will love your neighbor as yourself,i” you all do well. 9 But if you all show favoritism, you all work sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become liable to all. 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adulteryj,k” also said, “Do not murderl.m” But if you do not commit adultery but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so act as, through the law of liberty, you all are about to be judged. 13 For the judgment is without mercy to the one showing no mercy. Mercy triumphs overn judgment.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What advantage is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Is faith able to save him?o 15 If a brother or sister may be naked and lacking in daily food, 16 but someone of you all says to him, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” but does not givep them the things needed for the body, what advantage is that? 17 So also faith, if it does not haveq works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder! 20 But do you wish to know, O vainr man, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, after offering his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working together with his works, and faith was perfected by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled saying, “But Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness”s — and he was called a friend of God. 24 You all see that by works a man is justified and not by faith alone. 25 But in the same way was Rahab the prostitute not also justified by works, after receiving the messengers and sending them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Taming the Tongue
3 Not many of you all should becomet teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive the greater judgment. 2 For in many ways, we all stumble. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 But if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. 4 Behold, also the ships: being so large and being driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the pilot wills. 5 So, also, the tongue is a small limb, and it boasts of great things.
Behold, how small a fire sets ablaze so great a forest! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set in our limbs, staining our whole body, setting on fire the circleu of life, and being set on fire by hellv. 7 For every genus of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, is tamed and has been tamed by the genus of mankind, 8 but the tongue, no man is able to tame. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it, we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse the people who have been made in the resemblance of God. 10 Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not be so. 11 Does a spring, from the same opening, gush fresh and bitter water?w 12 Is a fig tree able, my brothers, to bear olives, or a vine bear figs?x Neither can a salt pond bear fresh water.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and intelligent among you all? Let him show, out of his good conduct, his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you all have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and liey against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not coming down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above first is pure indeed, then peaceable, gentle, open to reasonz, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial without hypocrisy. 18 But the fruit of righteousness is being sown in peace by those making peace.
Warning Against Worldliness
4 What causes war, and what causes fighting among you all? Is it not this: your lustsaa are warring within your limbs? 2 You all desire and do not have. You all murder. You all covet and are not able to obtain. You all fight and war, you all do not have because you all do not ask. 3 You all ask and do not receive because you all ask evilly, in order that you all may spend it on your own passions. 4 You adulteresses! Do you all not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wills to be a friend of the world is made an enemy of God. 5 Or do you all think it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that He made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but to the humble He gives grace.ab” 7 Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you all. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you all. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-mindedac. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you all.
11 Do not speak evil againstad one another, brothers. The one speaking evil against his brother or judging his brother speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, He who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you judging your neighbor?
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Come now, those saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — 14 yet you all do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? For you all are a mist, appearing for a little while and then vanishing. 15 Instead, you all should say, “If the Lord desires, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But now, you all boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, knowing the good thing to do, and is not doing it, to him it is sin.
Warning to the Rich
5 Come now, those who are rich, weep and howl for the miseries coming upon you all. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have been moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their rust will be a witness against you all and will eat your flesh like fire. You all amassed treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, after having been withheld by fraud, are crying out against you all, and the cries of the harvesters have entered into the ears of the Lord of hostsae. 5 You all lived in luxury on the earth in extravagance. You all fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You all condemned, murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you all.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers until the coming of the Lord. Behold the farmer waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You all also, be patient. Establish your hearts since the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not groanaf, brothers, against one another in order that you all may not be judgedag; behold, the Judge has stood at the door. 10 As an example, brothers, take the suffering and the patience of the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, blessed are those who endured. You all heard the patience of Job, and you all saw the purpose of the Lord that the Lord is extremely compassionate and merciful.
12 But before all, my brothers, do not swearah either by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no in order that you all may not fallai under judgment.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you all suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you all sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he may have committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you all may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power while it is working. 17 Elijah was man with a nature likeaj ours, and he prayed ferventlyak not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And again he prayed, and heaven gave rain, and the earth yielded its fruit.
19 My brothers, if any of you all wander from the truth, and someone turns him, 20 know that the one turning a sinner from his wandering path will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.