James 5
New American Standard Bible
Misuse of Riches
5 (A)Come now, (B)you rich people, (C)weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 (D)Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will [a]serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is (E)in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, (F)the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and (G)the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of (H)the Lord [b]of armies. 5 You have [c](I)lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have [d]fattened your hearts in (J)a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and [e](K)put to death (L)the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.
Exhortation
7 Therefore be patient, (M)brothers and sisters, (N)until the coming of the Lord. (O)The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until [f]it gets (P)the early and late rains. 8 (Q)You too be patient; (R)strengthen your hearts, for (S)the coming of the Lord is (T)near. 9 (U)Do not [g]complain, (V)brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, (W)the Judge is standing [h](X)right at the [i]door. 10 As an example, (Y)brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take (Z)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those (AA)blessed who endured. You have heard of (AB)the [j]endurance of Job and have seen (AC)the [k]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that (AD)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
12 But above all, (AE)my brothers and sisters, (AF)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but [l]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.
13 Is anyone among you (AG)suffering? (AH)Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to (AI)sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for (AJ)the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, [m](AK)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the (AL)prayer of faith will [n](AM)restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will (AN)raise him up, and if he has committed sins, [o]they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, (AO)confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be (AP)healed. (AQ)A [p]prayer of a righteous person, when it is [q]brought about, can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was (AR)a man with a nature like ours, and (AS)he prayed [r]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for (AT)three years and six months. 18 Then he (AU)prayed again, and (AV)the sky [s]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brothers and sisters, (AW)if anyone among you strays from (AX)the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will (AY)save his soul from death and (AZ)cover a multitude of sins.
Footnotes
- James 5:3 Lit be for
- James 5:4 Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth
- James 5:5 Or led a life of self-indulgence
- James 5:5 Lit nourished
- James 5:6 Or murdered
- James 5:7 Or he
- James 5:9 Lit groan
- James 5:9 Lit before
- James 5:9 Lit doors
- James 5:11 Or steadfastness
- James 5:11 Lit end of the Lord
- James 5:12 Lit yours is to be yes, yes, and no, no
- James 5:14 Lit having anointed
- James 5:15 Lit save
- James 5:15 Lit it
- James 5:16 Or supplication
- James 5:16 I.e., granted by God
- James 5:17 Lit with prayer
- James 5:18 Lit gave
James 5
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Warning to the Rich
5 Come now, you rich(A) people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth is ruined and your clothes are moth-eaten.(B) 3 Your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days!(C) 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers(D) who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.[a](E) 5 You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts(F) for[b] the day of slaughter.(G) 6 You have condemned—you have murdered—the righteous man; he does not resist you.(H)
Waiting for the Lord
7 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.(I) 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.(J)
9 Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!(K)
10 Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured.[c] You have heard of Job’s endurance(L) and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.(M)
Truthful Speech
12 Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath.(N) Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.[d]
Effective Prayer
13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.(O) 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.(P) 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will restore him to health; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.(Q) 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.(R) 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land.(S) 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.(T)
19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth,(U) and someone turns him back,(V) 20 let him know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.(W)
Footnotes
- James 5:4 Gk Sabaoth; this word is a transliteration of the Hb word for Hosts, or Armies.
- James 5:5 Or hearts in
- James 5:11 Or have persevered
- James 5:12 Other mss read fall into hypocrisy
James 5
King James Version
5 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
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