James 5
New Testament for Everyone
Warnings to the rich
5 Now look here, you rich! Weep and wail for the horrible things that are going to happen to you! 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten, 3 your gold and your silver have rusted, and their rust will bear witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have stored up riches in the last days! 4 Look: you cheated the workers who mowed your fields by keeping back their wages, and those wages are crying out! The cries of the farm workers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived off the fat of the land, in the lap of luxury. You have fattened your own hearts on a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned the Righteous One and killed him, and he doesn’t resist you.
Patience and trust
7 So be patient, my brothers and sisters, for the appearing of the Lord. You know how the farmer waits for the valuable crop to come up from the ground. He is patient over it, waiting for it to receive the early rain and then the late rain. 8 In the same way, you must be patient, and make your hearts strong, because the appearing of the Lord is near at hand. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, my brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Look—the judge is standing at the gates! 10 Consider the prophets, my brothers and sisters, who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as an example of longsuffering and patience. 11 When people endure, we call them “blessed by God.” Well, you have heard of the endurance of Job; and you saw the Lord’s ultimate purpose. The Lord is deeply compassionate and kindly.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear. Don’t swear by heaven; don’t swear by earth; don’t use any other oaths. Let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No.” That way, you will not fall under judgment.
Praying in faith
13 Are any among you suffering? Let them pray. Are any cheerful? Let them sing psalms. 14 Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over the sick person, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Faithful prayer will rescue the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed any sin, it will be forgiven them. 16 So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
When a righteous person prays, that prayer carries great power. 17 Elijah was a man with passions like ours, and he prayed and prayed that it might not rain—and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My dear family, if someone in your company has wandered from the truth, and someone turns them back, 20 know this: the one who turns back a sinner from wandering off into error will rescue that person’s life from death, and cover a multitude of sins.
James 5
Easy-to-Read Version
A Warning to Rich and Selfish People
5 You rich people, listen! Cry and be very sad because much trouble will come to you. 2 Your riches will rot and be worth nothing. Your clothes will be eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver will rust, and that rust will be a proof that you were wrong. That rust will eat your bodies like fire. You saved your treasure in the last days. 4 People worked in your fields, but you did not pay them. They are crying out against you. They harvested your crops. Now the Lord All-Powerful has heard their cries.
5 Your life on earth was full of rich living. You pleased yourselves with everything you wanted. You made yourselves fat, like an animal ready for the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You showed no mercy to good people. They were not against you, but you killed them.
Be Patient
7 Brothers and sisters, be patient; the Lord will come. So be patient until that time. Look at the farmers. They have to be patient. They have to wait for their valuable crop to grow and produce a harvest. They wait patiently for the first rain and the last rain.[b] 8 You must be patient too. Never stop hoping. The Lord is coming soon. 9 Brothers and sisters, don’t complain against each other. If you don’t stop complaining, you will be judged guilty. And the Judge is ready to come!
10 Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets who spoke for the Lord. They suffered many bad things, but they were patient. 11 And we say that those who accepted their troubles with patience now have God’s blessing. You have heard about Job’s patience.[c] You know that after all his troubles, the Lord helped him. This shows that the Lord is full of mercy and is kind.
Be Careful What You Say
12 My brothers and sisters, it is very important that you not use an oath when you make a promise. Don’t use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only “yes.” When you mean no, say only “no.” Do this so that you will not be judged guilty.
The Power of Prayer
13 Are you having troubles? You should pray. Are you happy? You should sing. 14 Are you sick? Ask the elders of the church to come and rub oil on you[d] in the name of the Lord and pray for you. 15 If such a prayer is offered in faith, it will heal anyone who is sick. The Lord will heal them. And if they have sinned, he will forgive them.
16 So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. 17 Elijah was a person just like us. He prayed that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! 18 Then Elijah prayed that it would rain. And the rain came down from the sky, and the land grew crops again.
Helping People When They Sin
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone wanders away from the truth and someone helps that person come back, 20 remember this: Anyone who brings a sinner back from the wrong way will save that person from eternal death and cause many sins to be forgiven.
Footnotes
- James 5:5 You made yourselves fat … slaughter Literally, “You fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.”
- James 5:7 first rain … last rain The “first rain” came in the fall, and the “last rain” came in the spring.
- James 5:11 Job’s patience See the book of Job in the Old Testament.
- James 5:14 rub oil on you Oil was used like medicine.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International