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James 3
Easy-to-Read Version

Controlling the Things We Say

3 My brothers and sisters, not many of you should be teachers. I say this because, as you know, we who teach will be judged more strictly than others.

2 We all make many mistakes. A person who never said anything wrong would be perfect. Someone like that would be able to control their whole body too. 3 We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. With these bits we can control their whole body. 4 It is the same with ships. A ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship. And the one who controls the rudder decides where the ship will go. It goes where he wants it to go. 5 It is the same with our tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it can boast about doing great things.

A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. 6 The tongue is like a fire. It is a world of evil among the parts of our body. It spreads its evil through our whole body and starts a fire that influences all of life. It gets this fire from hell.

7 Humans have control over every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have controlled all these things. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is wild and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. 10 These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. 11 Do good water and bad water flow from the same spring? Of course not. 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree make olives? Or can a grapevine make figs? No, and a well full of salty water cannot give good water.

True Wisdom

13 Are there any among you who are really wise and understanding? Then you should show your wisdom by living right. You should do what is good with humility. A wise person does not boast. 14 If you are selfish and have bitter jealousy in your hearts, you have no reason to boast. Your boasting is a lie that hides the truth. 15 That kind of “wisdom” does not come from God. That “wisdom” comes from the world. It is not spiritual. It is from the devil. 16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there will be confusion and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom that comes from God is like this: First, it is pure. It is also peaceful, gentle, and easy to please. This wisdom is always ready to help people who have trouble and to do good for others. This wisdom is always fair and honest. 18 People who work for peace in a peaceful way get the blessings that come from right living.

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James 3
New English Translation

The Power of the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,[a] because you know that we will be judged more strictly.[b] 2 For we all stumble[c] in many ways. If someone does not stumble[d] in what he says,[e] he is a perfect individual,[f] able to control the entire body as well. 3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies.[g] 4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. 5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body,[h] yet it has great pretensions.[i] Think[j] how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents[k] the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It[l] pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence—and is set on fire by hell.[m]

7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature[n] is subdued and has been subdued by humankind.[o] 8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless[p] evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord[q] and Father, and with it we curse people[r] made in God’s image. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.[s] 11 A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters,[t] or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

True Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings.[u] 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such[v] wisdom does not come[w] from above but is earthly, natural,[x] demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating,[y] full of mercy and good fruit,[z] impartial, and not hypocritical.[aa] 18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness[ab] is planted[ac] in peace among[ad] those who make peace.

Footnotes

  1. James 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  2. James 3:1 tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”
  3. James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
  4. James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
  5. James 3:2 tn Grk “in speech.”
  6. James 3:2 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anēr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).
  7. James 3:3 tn Grk “their entire body.”
  8. James 3:5 tn Grk “a small member.”
  9. James 3:5 tn Grk “boasts of great things.”
  10. James 3:5 tn Grk “Behold.”
  11. James 3:6 tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”
  12. James 3:6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  13. James 3:6 sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2; 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).
  14. James 3:7 tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”
  15. James 3:7 tn Grk “the human species.”
  16. James 3:8 tc Most mss (C Ψ 1611 1739c 1244 M as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatascheton), while most of the more significant witnesses (א A B K P 1175 1243 1735 1739* latt co) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. In a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastatos) was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is deemed more likely to be the initial reading.
  17. James 3:9 tc Most later mss (M), along with several versional witnesses, have θεόν (theon, “God”) here instead of κύριον (kurion, “Lord”). Such is a predictable variant since nowhere else in the NT is God described as “Lord and Father,” but he is called “God and Father” on several occasions. Further, the reading κύριον is well supported by early and diversified witnesses (P20 א A B C P Ψ 33 81 945 1241 1739), rendering it as the overwhelmingly preferred reading.
  18. James 3:9 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.
  19. James 3:10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  20. James 3:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
  21. James 3:13 tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”
  22. James 3:15 tn Grk “This.”
  23. James 3:15 tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”
  24. James 3:15 tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.
  25. James 3:17 tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”
  26. James 3:17 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”
  27. James 3:17 tn Or “sincere.”
  28. James 3:18 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
  29. James 3:18 tn Grk “is sown.”
  30. James 3:18 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”
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