Salutation

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes^[a] in the Dispersion:

Greeting.

Faith and Wisdom

² Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, ³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ^{7, 8} For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.

Poverty and Riches

⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and the rich in his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

The Demand for a Sign

¹¹ The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him. ¹² And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” ¹³ And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.