James 4:9-5:12

English Standard Version

⁹^(A)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰^(B)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹^(C)Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.^[a] The one who speaks against a brother or ^(D)judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. ¹²There is only ^(E)one lawgiver and ^(F)judge, he who is able to save and ^(G)to destroy. But ^(H)who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³Come now, you who say, ^(I)“Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For ^(J)you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead you ought to say, ^(K)“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶As it is, you boast in your arrogance. ^(L)All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷^(M)So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, ^(N)you rich, weep and howl for the ^(O)miseries that are coming upon you. ²^(P)Your riches have rotted and ^(Q)your garments are moth-eaten. ³Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^(R)You have laid up treasure ^(S)in the last days. ⁴Behold, ^(T)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and ^(U)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of ^(V)the Lord of hosts. ⁵^(W)You have lived on the earth in luxury and ^(X)in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in ^(Y)a day of slaughter. ⁶You have condemned and ^(Z)murdered ^(AA)the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

⁷Be patient, therefore, brothers,^[b] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives ^(AB)the early and the late rains. ⁸You also, be patient. ^(AC)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^(AD)is at hand. ⁹Do not grumble against one another, brothers, ^(AE)so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(AF)the Judge is standing ^(AG)at the door. ¹⁰As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take ^(AH)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of ^(AI)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ^(AJ)the purpose of the Lord, how ^(AK)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹²But above all, my brothers, ^(AL)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.