Jak 1
Haitian Creole Version
1 ¶ Mwen menm Jak, sèvitè Bondye ak Jezikri Seyè nou an, m'ap ekri lèt sa a pou douz branch fanmi yo ki gaye toupatou sou latè. Bonjou pou nou tout.
2 ¶ Frè m' yo, se pou nou santi nou kontan anpil lè nou wè nou tonbe anba nenpòt kalite eprèv.
3 Paske, nou konnen byen, lè konfyans nou gen nan Bondye a tonbe anba eprèv, sa ban nou pasyans.
4 Men, fòk pasyans sa a fin fè travay li nèt pou nou kapab bon nèt sou tout pwen, byen devlope, san nou pa manke anyen.
5 Si yon moun pami nou manke bon konprann, se pou l' mande Bondye, Bondye va ba li li. Paske, Bondye bay tout moun san mezire, pou gremesi.
6 Men, se pou li mande ak konfyans, san l' pa gen doutans. Paske, moun ki gen doutans, li tankou lanm lanmè van ap boulvèse.
7 Yon moun konsa pa bezwen mete nan tèt li l'ap resevwa anyen nan men Seyè a.
8 Se yon moun ki pa konnen sa li vle, ki toujou ap chanje lide nan tou sa l'ap fè.
9 Yon frè ki pòv dwe moutre jan li kontan lè Bondye fè kichòy pou li.
10 Konsa tou, yon frè ki rich dwe moutre jan l' kontan tou lè Bondye rabese li. Paske, moun ki rich gen pou pase tankou flè zèb.
11 Solèy la leve ak tout chalè li. Li cheche zèb la. Flè a tonbe. Tout bèlte l' disparèt. Konsa tou, moun rich la gen pou l' disparèt pandan tout kòmès li ap mache.
12 benediksyon pou moun ki sipòte eprèv li ak pasyans. Lè la fin pase anba eprèv yo, la resevwa pou rekonpans lavi Bondye te pwomèt tout moun ki renmen li yo.
13 ¶ Lè eprèv tonbe sou yon moun, lè l' anba tantasyon, moun sa a pa dwe di se Bondye k'ap tante li. Paske, menm jan Bondye pa janm anba tantasyon pou fè sa ki mal, konsa tou Bondye pa ka tante pesonn pou fè l' fè sa ki mal.
14 Men, lè yon moun anba tantasyon, se pwòp move dezi moun lan k'ap rale l', k'ap pouse li.
15 Konsa, move dezi a travay nan kè li, li fè l' fè peche. Lè peche a fin fèt, li bay lanmò.
16 Frè mwen renmen anpil yo, pa twonpe tèt nou sou bagay sa a.
17 Tout pi bèl favè, tout pi bon kado nou resevwa, se anwo nan syèl la yo soti, nan men Bondye ki kreye tout limyè. Bondye pa janm chanje, ni li pa gen anyen ki ta ka sanble yon chanjman nan li.
18 Gremesi pawòl verite a, li ban nou lavi jan l' te vle l' la, pou nou kapab gen premye plas nan tou sa li kreye.
19 ¶ Frè mwen renmen anpil yo, men yon bagay pou nou toujou chonje. Se pou tout moun prese louvri zòrèy yo pou yo ka tande. Men, pa kouri pale, pa prese fè kòlè.
20 Paske, kòlè lèzòm pa ka fè volonte Bondye.
21 Se poutèt sa, derasinen tout vye abitid ki pa dakò ak volonte Bondye ansanm ak tout kras mechanste ki nan lavi nou, voye yo jete. Soumèt nou devan Bondye, asepte pawòl li te plante nan kè nou an, paske se pawòl sa a ki ka sove nanm nou.
22 Se pou nou fè tou sa pawòl la mande nou fè. Pa rete ap koute ase. Lè sa a, se pwòp tèt nou n'ap twonpe.
23 Paske, lè yon moun tande pawòl la ase, san li pa fè sa pawòl la mande l' fè, li tankou yon moun ki gade figi l' nan yon glas.
24 Men, kou l' vire do l' ale, lamenm li bliye kisa li sanble.
25 Men, moun ki fikse je l' sou lalwa ki bon nèt la, lalwa ki bay libète a, si l' soti pou l' fè sa lalwa a mande, si li pa yon moun ki kite pawòl la antre nan yon zòrèy soti nan yon lòt, men ki fè sa lalwa a mande, moun sa a va jwenn benediksyon nan sa l'ap fè a.
26 Si yon moun kwè l'ap sèvi Bondye, pou anmenmtan li pa bride lang li, se tèt li l'ap twonpe. Sèvi Bondye jan sa a pa vo anyen.
27 Men jan pou nou sèvi Bondye Papa a, si nou vle sèvi l' yon jan ki dakò ak volonte Bondye, yon jan ki bon tout bon devan li: SE pòte sekou bay timoun ki san papa. Se bay vèv yo lasistans lè yo nan lafliksyon. Se pa mele nan move bagay k'ap fèt sou latè pou nou pa pèdi kondisyon nou.
James 1
Expanded Bible
1 From James [C one of Jesus’ brothers and a leader in the early church; Gal. 1:19; Acts 12:17; 15:13–21; 21:17], a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To ·all of God’s people [L the twelve tribes; C an allusion to the twelve tribes of Israel; referring either to Jewish Christians or all believers as the new covenant people of God] ·who are scattered everywhere in the world [L in the Diaspora/Dispersion; C a reference to the scattering of the Jews during the Babylonian captivity, now applied to the church]: Greetings.
Faith and Wisdom
2 My brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], when you have many kinds of ·troubles [trials; testing], ·you should be full of joy [L consider it all/pure joy], 3 because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you ·patience [perserverance; endurance]. 4 [L And] Let your ·patience [perserverance; endurance] ·show itself perfectly in what you do [have its full effect; finish its work]. Then you will be ·perfect and complete [mature and whole; or completely mature] and will ·have everything you need [L lack nothing]. 5 But if any of you ·needs [lacks] wisdom, you should ask God for it [Prov. 2:6]. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom ·without criticizing you [without finding fault; ungrudgingly; Matt. 7:7]. 6 But when you ask God, you must ·believe [ask with faith] and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, ·blown up and down [driven and tossed] by the wind.
True Riches
9 ·Believers [Brothers or sisters] who are ·poor [in lowly/humble circumstances] should ·take pride [boast] ·that God has made them spiritually rich [in being raised up; in their exaltation; in their high position]. 10 [L But] Those who are ·rich [wealthy] should ·take pride [boast] ·that God has shown them that they are spiritually poor [in their humiliation; in their lowly state; Jer. 9:23–24]. [L Because] The rich will ·die [pass away; wither] like a ·wild flower in the grass [or flower in the field]. 11 [L For] The sun rises with ·burning [scorching] heat and ·dries up [withers] the ·plants [or grass]. The flower falls off, and its beauty is ·gone [destroyed]. In the same way the rich will ·die [L wither away] ·while they are still taking care of business [in the midst of their pursuits; L in his journeys; Ps. 49:16–17; 103:15–16; Is. 40:6–8].
Temptation Is Not from God
12 ·When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy [L Blessed is the one who perserveres/endures trials/temptations]. After they have ·proved their faith [stood/endured/passed the test], ·God will reward them with life forever [L they will receive the crown of life; C alludes to the laurel crown given for a victory]. ·God [L He] promised this to all those who love him. 13 When people are ·tempted [undergoing a trial], they should not say, “God is tempting me.” [L For] God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But ·people are [L each person is] tempted when their own evil desire ·leads [lures; drags] them away and ·traps [entices; lures] them. 15 ·This desire leads to sin [L Then, after desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin], and then the sin ·grows [or becomes full-grown] and ·brings [gives birth to] death.
16 My ·dear [beloved] brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], do not be ·fooled [deceived] about this. 17 Every good ·action [or act of giving] and every perfect gift ·is from God [L comes from above]. These good gifts come down from the ·Creator of the sun, moon, and stars [L the father of lights; C referring to God’s creation of the heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14–19; Ps. 136:7–9; Jer. 31:35)], who does not change like their shifting shadows. 18 God ·decided [chose; willed] to give us ·life [birth] through the ·word of truth [true message] so we might be ·the most important [or the first of many; L a kind of firstfruits; C firstfruits were the first crops to be harvested and guaranteed the coming harvest; Ex. 34:22; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 14:4] of all ·the things he made [or his creatures].
Listening and Obeying
19 My ·dear [L beloved] brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], [L under-stand/know this:] ·always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily [L be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; Prov. 17:28], 20 ·because anger will not help you live the right kind of life God wants [L because human anger does not produce God’s righteousness]. 21 So ·put out of your life [get rid of; lay aside] every ·evil thing [moral filth/defilement] and every ·kind of wrong [excessive evil]. Then in ·gentleness [humility] ·accept [welcome] God’s ·teaching [word] that is planted in your hearts, which can save ·you [L your souls; C referring to the whole person].
22 ·Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves [L Be doers of the word, and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves; Luke 11:28; Rom. 2:13]. 23 Those who hear God’s ·teaching [word] and do nothing are like people who look at ·themselves [their natural face; L the face of their birth] in a mirror. 24 [L For] They ·see their faces [gaze at themselves] and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. 25 But ·the truly happy people are [L blessed are] those who ·carefully study [look intently into; L stoop down to look at] God’s perfect law that makes people free [C probably refers to the law of Moses as it is fulfilled in Christ; 2:8, 12], and they ·continue to study it [persevere in it]. ·They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says [L not being a forgetful hearer but an active doer]. Those who do this will be ·made happy [blessed].
The True Way to Worship God
26 People who think they are religious but ·say things they should not say [L do not bridle their tongues; 3:1–12; 4:11–12] are just ·fooling [deceiving] themselves. Their “religion” is ·worth nothing [empty; meaningless]. 27 Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and ·without fault [undefiled] is this: caring for orphans and widows [2:1–13, 15–16; Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29] ·who need help [L in their trouble/distress/persecution], and keeping yourself ·free from the world’s evil influence [L unstained/unpolluted by the world; 4:4–10].
James 1
EasyEnglish Bible
James says ‘Hello’
1 This letter is from me, James. I am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[a]
I am writing to the 12 tribes of God's people who live in many different parts of the world. I say ‘hello’ to all of you.[b]
What to do when you have troubles
2 My Christian friends, remember to be happy, even when many kinds of trouble happen to you. Troubles can help you. 3 God wants to see if you really trust him. Your faith in God will become stronger as a result of these troubles. 4 So you should continue to trust God all the time. Then you will become stronger as a believer. You will become completely how you should be. You will not need anything more.
5 But maybe you need to know how to be wise. Then ask God to help you. He is ready to give everyone what they need. And he never says that it is wrong to ask. So God will help you to be wise. 6 But when you ask God for something, you must trust him completely. Do not have other ideas in your mind. People who are not sure that God will help them are like the waves in the sea. The wind blows the water one way and then it blows the water another way. 7-8 A person who is like that never knows what to do. He has many ideas in his mind. He should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
9 The believers in your group who are poor should be happy. Why? Because God says that they are valuable to him. 10 And the believers who are rich should also be happy. Why? Because God has shown them that they are not so great. Rich people should remember that they will die, like a wild flower quickly dies. 11 When the sun rises, its heat causes plants to become dry. Their flowers fall to the ground. They are no longer beautiful. In the same way, rich people will die when they are busy in their work. Then they will have nothing.
12 Some people continue to trust God even when troubles happen. God will bless those people, if they show that they really trust him. He will give them the gift which is life with him. He has promised to give this gift to all people who love him.
13 When troubles happen to you, you may want to do something bad. But do not say, ‘God is causing me to do wrong things.’ Nothing can make God do anything bad. And God does not try to make anyone do a wrong thing. 14 It is our own thoughts that make us do bad things. When we want to do something wrong, our thoughts lead us in a bad way. 15 We may agree to do what our bad thoughts tell us to do. When we do that, it becomes a sin. Then, we may not stop doing those bad things. If we continue to live like that, the result of our sins is death.[c]
16 My Christian friends, do not make a mistake. 17 Remember that every good gift comes to us from God. He only does what will help us. He is our Father in heaven. He made everything in the sky that gives us light. Those things do not give us the same light all the time. They change, but God does not change. 18 He chose to make us his children. He used his true message to do that. Because of that, we are like the first special gift that belongs to him from among everything that he has made.
Listen and do what God wants
19 Understand this, my Christian friends: We must all be careful to listen. We should not be too quick to speak. We should not get angry quickly. 20 God wants us to do what is right. But when someone is angry, they do not do those right things. 21 So stop doing disgusting things. Stay away from the wicked things that are all around you. God has put his message deep inside you, and it can save you. So be careful to accept that message.
22 But be careful to do what God says in his message. Do not only listen to it. Do not make that mistake! 23 You must obey God's message. Do not be like a man who quickly looks at his face in a mirror. 24 That man looks at himself, but then he goes away. He immediately forgets what he is really like. 25 So do not just listen to God's message and then forget it. It is a completely good message that makes people free. Look at it carefully and keep it in your mind. Do what it tells you to do. God will bless anyone who lives in that way.
26 Maybe some of you think that you are serving God well. But if you also say bad things about people, you do not serve God well at all. You are doing something bad even when you think you are doing good things. 27 If you want to serve God in a completely good way, do things like this: Help children who have no parents and women who are widows. Help them in their troubles. If you serve God our Father like that, he will be pleased with you. Do not let the bad people in this world make you bad too.
Footnotes
- 1:1 James is the brother of Jesus, but he describes himself as a servant of Jesus Christ.
- 1:1 This may mean all believers, wherever they live. There were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. They were God's people. Now all Christians are God's people.
- 1:15 ‘Death’ here means that we no longer have life with God. We become separate from God.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.