James 1:19-3:18

New American Standard Bible

^19 [a](A)You know this, ^(B)my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, ^(C)slow to speak, and ^(D)slow to anger; ²⁰ for a man’s ^(E)anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, ^(F)ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all ^[b]that remains of wickedness, in ^[c]humility receive ^(G)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (H)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[d]natural face ^(I)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[e]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, ^(J)the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[f]an active doer, this person will be ^(K)blessed in ^[g]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not ^[h](L)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(M)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(N)visit ^(O)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[i]by ^(P)the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 ^(Q)My brothers and sisters, ^(R)do not hold your faith in our ^(S)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^(T)personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your ^[j]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in ^(U)bright clothes, and a poor man in ^(V)dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and you ^[k]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^(W)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^(X)with evil ^[l]motives? ⁵ Listen, ^(Y)my beloved brothers and sisters: did ^(Z)God not choose the poor ^[m]of this world to be ^(AA)rich in faith and ^(AB)heirs of the kingdom which He ^(AC)promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and ^[n]personally ^(AD)drag you into ^[o]court? ^7 (AE)Do they not blaspheme the good name ^[p]by which you have been called?

⁸ If, however, you ^(AF)are fulfilling the ^[q]royal law according to the Scripture, “^(AG)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(AH)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet ^(AI)stumbles in one point, has become ^(AJ)guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, “^(AK)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “^(AL)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law. ¹² So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by ^(AM)the law of freedom. ¹³ For ^(AN)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy ^[r]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

^14 (AO)What use is it, ^(AP)my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can ^[s]that faith save him? ^15 (AQ)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “^(AR)Go in peace, ^[t]be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ In the same way, ^(AS)faith also, if it has no works, is ^[u]dead, being by itself.

^18 (AT)But someone ^[v]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^(AU)faith without the works, and I will ^(AV)show you my faith ^(AW)by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that ^[w](AX)God is one. ^(AY)You do well; ^(AZ)the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to acknowledge, ^(BA)you foolish person, that ^(BB)faith without works is useless? ^21 (BC)Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(BD)faith was working with his works, and ^[x]as a result of the ^(BE)works, faith was ^[y]perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^(BF)And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a ^(BG)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was ^(BH)Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also ^(BI)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also ^(BJ)faith without works is dead.

The Tongue Is a Fire

3 ^(BK)Do not become teachers in large numbers, ^(BL)my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a ^[z]stricter judgment. ² For we all ^(BM)stumble in many ways. ^(BN)If anyone does not stumble in ^[aa]what he says, he is a ^(BO)perfect man, able to ^[ab](BP)rein in the whole body as well. ³ Now ^(BQ)if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well. ⁴ Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it ^(BR)boasts of great things.

^(BS)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(BT)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among ^[ac]our body’s parts as that which ^(BU)defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our ^[ad]life, and is set on fire by ^[ae](BV)hell. ⁷ For every ^[af]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human ^[ag]race. ⁸ But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of ^(BW)deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless ^(BX)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, ^(BY)who have been made in the likeness of God; ¹⁰ from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. ¹¹ Does a spring send out from the same opening both ^[ah]fresh and bitter water? ^12 (BZ)Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, bear olives, or a vine bear figs? Nor can salt water produce ^[ai]fresh.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? ^(CA)Let him show by his ^(CB)good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(CC)jealousy and ^[aj]selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against ^(CD)the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down ^(CE)from above, but is ^(CF)earthly, ^[ak](CG)natural, ^(CH)demonic. ¹⁶ For where ^(CI)jealousy and ^[al]selfish ambition exist, ^[am]there is disorder and every evil thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom ^(CJ)from above is first ^(CK)pure, then ^(CL)peace-loving, ^(CM)gentle, ^[an]reasonable, ^(CN)full of mercy and good fruits, ^[ao](CO)impartial, free of ^(CP)hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the ^(CQ)fruit of righteousness is sown in peace ^[ap]by those who make peace.