Book of Common Prayer

1 I am James. I am a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I send greetings to all of God's people wherever they live.

² My brothers, be very happy when you are tested by having troubles of many kinds.

³ You know this, that when you prove you believe, you become stronger to take troubles.

⁴ But you must keep on being strong to take trouble. Then you will be all right in every way. You will not need anything more.

⁵ If any of you need to be wise, ask God to make you wise. He gives plenty of wisdom to all people. He is not angry because you ask him. He will make you wise.

⁶ But when you ask, you must believe that God will do it. You must not doubt and think, `Perhaps God will not do it.' A person who doubts is like a wave on the sea. The wind drives it this way and that way.

⁷ That person must not think that he will get anything from the Lord.

⁸ A person like that has two minds. He cannot go straight in any of his ways.

⁹ A Christian brother who is poor should be glad: he is in a high place now he is a Christian.

¹⁰ A Christian brother who is rich should be glad: he is in a low place now he is a Christian. A rich man will pass away like a flower on the grass.

¹¹ The sun shines and is very hot. Then the grass dries and its flower falls off. It was nice at first, but now it is not nice any more. In the same way, the rich man will die while he is going around trying to make money.

¹² God will bless any man who is strong to take his trouble, when he is being tested. When he has proved he is strong, he will live for ever. That is what the Lord has promised to those who love him.

¹³ No one who wants to do something wrong should say, `God is trying to make me do this wrong thing.' God cannot do anything wrong.

¹⁴ It is their own heart which is wrong. That is why he wants to do something wrong. It fools him.

¹⁵ Then the wrong in his heart makes him do the wrong thing. And the wrong thing he has done leads to death.

¹⁶ My dear brothers, do not fool yourselves.

¹⁷ Every good thing and every fine gift comes from heaven. It comes from the Father of all light. He does not change and he makes no shadow by turning.

¹⁸ He made us his children because he wanted us. He made us his children by giving us his true word. He made us his children so that we would be the first and best of all he made.

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, `I tell you the truth. It is very hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴ And I tell you this also. It is easier for a big animal like a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were very much surprised. They said, `Then who can be saved?'

²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, `Men cannot do it, but God can do anything.'

²⁷ Then Peter said, `See, we have left all things and have come with you. So what will we have?'

²⁸ Jesus said to them, `I tell you the truth. In the new world, the Son of Man will be great. He will sit on his throne of glory [big chair of a king] to rule. Then you who have come with me will also sit on twelve thrones. You will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹ If anyone has left his house, his brothers, his sisters, his father, his mother, his children, or his farms for my sake, he will receive a hundred times as much as he has left. And he will live for ever.

³⁰ But many people who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first.'