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.