James 2:14-5:20

New American Standard Bible

Faith and Works

^14 (A)What use is it, ^(B)my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can ^[a]that faith save him? ^15 (C)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “^(D)Go in peace, ^[b]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, ^(E)faith also, if it has no works, is ^[c]dead, being by itself.

^18 (F)But someone ^[d]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^(G)faith without the works, and I will ^(H)show you my faith ^(I)by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that ^[e](J)God is one. ^(K)You do well; ^(L)the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to acknowledge, ^(M)you foolish person, that ^(N)faith without works is useless? ^21 (O)Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(P)faith was working with his works, and ^[f]as a result of the ^(Q)works, faith was ^[g]perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^(R)And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a ^(S)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was ^(T)Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also ^(U)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 ^(V)faith without works is dead.

The Tongue Is a Fire

3 ^(W)Do not become teachers in large numbers, ^(X)my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a ^[h]stricter judgment. ² For we all ^(Y)stumble in many ways. ^(Z)If anyone does not stumble in ^[i]what he says, he is a ^(AA)perfect man, able to ^[j](AB)rein in the whole body as well. ³ Now ^(AC)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 ^(AD)boasts of great things.

^(AE)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(AF)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among ^[k]our body’s parts as that which ^(AG)defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our ^[l]life, and is set on fire by ^[m](AH)hell. ⁷ For every ^[n]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human ^[o]race. ⁸ But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of ^(AI)deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless ^(AJ)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, ^(AK)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 ^[p]fresh and bitter water? ^12 (AL)Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, bear olives, or a vine bear figs? Nor can salt water produce ^[q]fresh.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? ^(AM)Let him show by his ^(AN)good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(AO)jealousy and ^[r]selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against ^(AP)the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down ^(AQ)from above, but is ^(AR)earthly, ^[s](AS)natural, ^(AT)demonic. ¹⁶ For where ^(AU)jealousy and ^[t]selfish ambition exist, ^[u]there is disorder and every evil thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom ^(AV)from above is first ^(AW)pure, then ^(AX)peace-loving, ^(AY)gentle, ^[v]reasonable, ^(AZ)full of mercy and good fruits, ^[w](BA)impartial, free of ^(BB)hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the ^(BC)fruit of righteousness is sown in peace ^[x]by those who make peace.

Things to Avoid

4 ^[y]What is the source of quarrels and ^(BD)conflicts among you? ^[z]Is the source not your pleasures that wage ^(BE)war in ^[aa]your body’s parts? ² You lust and do not have, so you ^(BF)commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and ^(BG)do not receive, because you ask ^[ab]with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request ^[ac]on your pleasures. ⁴ You ^(BH)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with ^(BI)the world is ^(BJ)hostility toward God? ^(BK)Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture ^(BL)says to no purpose, “^[ad]He ^[ae]jealously desires ^(BM)the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(BN)He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “^(BO)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ^7 (BP)Submit therefore to God. But ^[af](BQ)resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^8 (BR)Come close to God and He will come close to you. ^(BS)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and ^(BT)purify your hearts, you ^[ag](BU)double-minded. ^9 (BV)Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. ^10 (BW)Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

^11 (BX)Do not speak against one another, ^(BY)brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or ^(BZ)judges his brother or sister, speaks against ^(CA)the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not ^(CB)a doer of the law but a judge of it. ¹² There is only one ^(CC)Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is ^(CD)able to save and to destroy; but ^(CE)who are you, ^[ah]judging your neighbor?

^13 (CF)Come now, you who say, “^(CG)Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ^14 [ai]Yet you do not know ^[aj]what your life will be like tomorrow. ^(CH)For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. ^15 [ak]Instead, you ought to say, “^(CI)If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your ^[al]arrogance; ^(CJ)all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ So ^(CK)for one who knows the ^[am]right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.

Misuse of Riches

5 ^(CL)Come now, ^(CM)you rich people, ^(CN)weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ^2 (CO)Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will ^[an]serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is ^(CP)in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, ^(CQ)the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and ^(CR)the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of ^(CS)the Lord ^[ao]of armies. ⁵ You have ^[ap](CT)lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have ^[aq]fattened your hearts in ^(CU)a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and ^[ar](CV)put to death ^(CW)the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.

Exhortation

⁷ Therefore be patient, ^(CX)brothers and sisters, ^(CY)until the coming of the Lord. ^(CZ)The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until ^[as]it gets ^(DA)the early and late rains. ^8 (DB)You too be patient; ^(DC)strengthen your hearts, for ^(DD)the coming of the Lord is ^(DE)near. ^9 (DF)Do not ^[at]complain, ^(DG)brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(DH)the Judge is standing ^[au](DI)right at the ^[av]door. ¹⁰ As an example, ^(DJ)brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take ^(DK)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We count those ^(DL)blessed who endured. You have heard of ^(DM)the ^[aw]endurance of Job and have seen ^(DN)the ^[ax]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that ^(DO)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹² But above all, ^(DP)my brothers and sisters, ^(DQ)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but ^[ay]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.

¹³ Is anyone among you ^(DR)suffering? ^(DS)Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to ^(DT)sing praises. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for ^(DU)the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, ^[az](DV)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the ^(DW)prayer of faith will ^[ba](DX)restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will ^(DY)raise him up, and if he has committed sins, ^[bb]they will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^(DZ)confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be ^(EA)healed. ^(EB)A ^[bc]prayer of a righteous person, when it is ^[bd]brought about, can accomplish much. ¹⁷ Elijah was ^(EC)a man with a nature like ours, and ^(ED)he prayed ^[be]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for ^(EE)three years and six months. ¹⁸ Then he ^(EF)prayed again, and ^(EG)the sky ^[bf]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, ^(EH)if anyone among you strays from ^(EI)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 ^(EJ)save his soul from death and ^(EK)cover a multitude of sins.