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
The Message
Destroying Your Life from Within
5 1-3 And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You’ll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment.
4-6 All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You’ve looted the earth and lived it up. But all you’ll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you’ve done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.
* * *
7-8 Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.
9 Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.
10-11 Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
12 And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.
Prayer to Be Reckoned With
13-15 Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.
16-18 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.
19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
Santiago 5
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Advertencias a los ricos
5 ¡Oigan [a] ahora(A), ricos(B)! Lloren y aúllen por las miserias que vienen sobre ustedes(C). 2 Sus riquezas se han podrido(D) y sus ropas están comidas de polilla. 3 Su oro y su plata se han oxidado, su herrumbre será un testigo contra ustedes y consumirá su carne como fuego. Es en[b] los últimos días que han acumulado tesoros(E). 4 Miren, el jornal de los obreros que han segado sus campos(F) y que ha sido retenido por ustedes, clama contra ustedes. El clamor de los segadores(G) ha llegado a los oídos del Señor de los ejércitos[c](H).
5 Han vivido lujosamente sobre la tierra(I), y han llevado una vida de placer desenfrenado. Han engordado[d] sus corazones en el día de la matanza(J). 6 Han condenado y dado muerte[e](K) al justo(L). Él no les hace resistencia.
Exhortación a la paciencia
7 Por tanto, hermanos(M), sean pacientes hasta la venida del Señor(N). Miren cómo el labrador espera el fruto precioso de la tierra(O), siendo paciente en ello hasta que recibe la lluvia temprana y la tardía(P). 8 Sean también ustedes pacientes(Q). Fortalezcan sus corazones(R), porque la venida del Señor(S) está cerca(T). 9 Hermanos(U), no se quejen unos contra otros(V), para que no sean juzgados. Ya el Juez(W) está a[f] las puertas(X). 10 Hermanos(Y), tomen como ejemplo de paciencia y aflicción a los profetas(Z) que hablaron en el nombre del Señor. 11 Miren que tenemos por bienaventurados(AA) a los que sufrieron[g]. Han oído de la paciencia[h](AB) de Job, y han visto el resultado del proceder[i] del Señor(AC), que el Señor es muy compasivo y misericordioso(AD).
Exhortaciones varias
12 Y sobre todo, hermanos míos(AE), no juren, ni por el cielo, ni por la tierra, ni con ningún otro juramento. Antes bien, sea el sí de ustedes[j], sí, y su no[k], no(AF), para que no caigan bajo juicio.
13 ¿Sufre alguien entre ustedes(AG)? Que haga oración(AH). ¿Está alguien alegre? Que cante alabanzas(AI). 14 ¿Está alguien entre ustedes enfermo? Que llame a los ancianos de la iglesia(AJ) y que ellos oren por él, ungiéndolo[l] con aceite en el nombre del Señor(AK). 15 La oración de fe(AL) restaurará[m] al enfermo(AM), y el Señor lo levantará(AN). Si ha cometido pecados le serán perdonados[n].
16 Por tanto, confiésense sus pecados unos a otros(AO), y oren unos por otros para que sean sanados(AP). La oración[o] eficaz(AQ) del justo puede lograr mucho. 17 Elías era un hombre de pasiones semejantes a las nuestras[p](AR), y oró fervientemente[q] para que no lloviera(AS), y no llovió sobre la tierra por tres años y seis meses(AT). 18 Oró de nuevo(AU), y el cielo dio lluvia(AV) y la tierra produjo su fruto.
19 Hermanos míos, si alguien de entre ustedes(AW) se extravía de la verdad(AX) y alguien le hace volver, 20 sepa[r] que el que hace volver a un pecador del error de su camino salvará su alma de muerte(AY), y cubrirá multitud de pecados(AZ).
Footnotes
- Santiago 5:1 Lit. Vamos.
- Santiago 5:3 O para.
- Santiago 5:4 Gr. Sabaot.
- Santiago 5:5 Lit. nutrido.
- Santiago 5:6 O asesinado.
- Santiago 5:9 Lit. de pie, delante de.
- Santiago 5:11 O perseveraron.
- Santiago 5:11 O firmeza.
- Santiago 5:11 Lit. fin.
- Santiago 5:12 Lit. el sí.
- Santiago 5:12 Lit. el no.
- Santiago 5:14 Lit. habiéndole ungido.
- Santiago 5:15 O sanará.
- Santiago 5:15 Lit. le será perdonado.
- Santiago 5:16 Lit. súplica.
- Santiago 5:17 O con una naturaleza como la nuestra.
- Santiago 5:17 Lit. con oración.
- Santiago 5:20 Algunos mss. dicen: sepan.
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