Beginning

1 I, James, am writing this letter. I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am sending this letter to you, the 12 tribes scattered among the nations.

Greetings.

Facing All Kinds of Trouble

² My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. ³ Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue. ⁴ And you must allow this strength to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need. ⁵ If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone and doesn’t find fault. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. That’s because a person who doubts is like a wave of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around. ⁷ They shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ This kind of person can’t make up their mind. They can never decide what to do.

⁹ Here’s what believers who are in low positions in life should be proud of. They should be proud that God has given them a high position in the kingdom. ¹⁰ But rich people should take pride in their low positions. That’s because they will fade away like wild flowers. ¹¹ The sun rises. Its burning heat dries up the plants. Their blossoms fall. Their beauty is destroyed. In the same way, rich people will fade away. They fade away even as they go about their business.

¹² Blessed is the person who keeps on going when times are hard. After they have come through hard times, this person will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. The Lord has promised it to those who love him.

¹³ When a person is tempted, they shouldn’t say, “God is tempting me.” God can’t be tempted by evil. And he doesn’t tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted by their own evil desires. These desires lead them on and drag them away. ¹⁵ When these desires are allowed to remain, they lead to sin. And when sin is allowed to remain and grow, it leads to death.

¹⁶ My dear brothers and sisters, don’t let anyone fool you. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from God. This kind of gift comes down from the Father who created the heavenly lights. These lights create shadows that move. But the Father does not change like these shadows. ¹⁸ God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first harvest of his new creation.

Listen to the Word and Do What It Says

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention to what I say. Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger doesn’t produce the holy life God wants. ²¹ So get rid of everything that is sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don’t be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you.

²² Don’t just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says. ²³ Suppose someone listens to the word but doesn’t do what it says. Then they are like a person who looks at their face in a mirror. ²⁴ After looking at themselves, they leave. And right away they forget what they look like. ²⁵ But suppose someone takes a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. And they keep looking at it. Suppose they don’t forget what they’ve heard, but they do what the law says. Then this person will be blessed in what they do.

²⁶ Suppose people think their beliefs and how they live are both right. But they don’t control what they say. Then they are fooling themselves. Their beliefs and way of life are not worth anything at all. ²⁷ Here are the beliefs and way of life that God our Father accepts as pure and without fault. When widows are in trouble, take care of them. Do the same for children who have no parents. And don’t let the world make you impure.

Treat Everyone the Same

2 My brothers and sisters, you are believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. So treat everyone the same. ² Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes. And suppose a poor man in dirty old clothes also comes in. ³ Would you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes? Would you say, “Here’s a good seat for you”? Would you say to the poor man, “You stand there”? Or “Sit on the floor by my feet”? ⁴ If you would, aren’t you treating some people better than others? Aren’t you like judges who have evil thoughts?

⁵ My dear brothers and sisters, listen to me. Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor in the world’s eyes to be rich in faith? Hasn’t he chosen them to receive the kingdom? Hasn’t he promised it to those who love him? ⁶ But you have disrespected poor people. Aren’t rich people taking advantage of you? Aren’t they dragging you into court? ⁷ Aren’t they speaking evil things against the worthy name of Jesus? Remember, you belong to him.

⁸ The royal law is found in Scripture. It says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18) If you really keep this law, you are doing what is right. ⁹ But you sin if you don’t treat everyone the same. The law judges you because you have broken it. ¹⁰ Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. Then you are guilty of breaking all of it. ¹¹ God said, “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18) He also said, “Do not commit murder.” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17) Suppose you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder. Then you have broken the law.

¹² Speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. ¹³ Those who have not shown mercy will not receive mercy when they are judged. To show mercy is better than to judge.

Show Your Faith by What You Do

¹⁴ Suppose a person claims to have faith but doesn’t act on their faith. My brothers and sisters, can this kind of faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister has no clothes or food. ¹⁶ Suppose one of you says to them, “Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well.” And suppose you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done? ¹⁷ It is the same with faith. If it doesn’t cause us to do something, it’s dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith. I do good deeds.”

Show me your faith that doesn’t cause you to do good deeds. And I will show you my faith by the goods deeds I do. ¹⁹ You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that. And they tremble!

²⁰ You foolish person! Do you want proof that faith without good deeds is useless? ²¹ Our father Abraham offered his son Isaac on the altar. Wasn’t he considered to be right with God because of what he did? ²² So you see that what he believed and what he did were working together. What he did made his faith complete. ²³ That is what Scripture means where it says, “Abraham believed God. God accepted Abraham because he believed. So his faith made him right with God.” (Genesis 15:6) And that’s not all. God called Abraham his friend. ²⁴ So you see that a person is considered right with God by what they do. It doesn’t happen only because they believe.

²⁵ Didn’t God consider even Rahab the prostitute to be right with him? That’s because of what she did for the spies. She gave them a place to stay. Then she sent them off in a different direction. ²⁶ A person’s body without their spirit is dead. In the same way, faith without good deeds is dead.

Control What You Say

3 My brothers and sisters, most of you shouldn’t become teachers. That’s because you know that those of us who teach will be held more accountable. ² All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what they say. Then they are perfect. They are able to keep their whole body under control.

³ We put a small piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. ⁴ And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go. ⁵ In the same way, the tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it talks big. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. ⁶ The tongue is also a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It makes the whole body impure. It sets a person’s whole way of life on fire. And the tongue itself is set on fire by hell.

⁷ People have tamed all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures. And they still tame them. ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.

⁹ With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we curse people. We do it even though people have been created to be like God. ¹⁰ Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn’t be this way. ¹¹ Can fresh water and salt water flow out of the same spring? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not. And a saltwater spring can’t produce fresh water either.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³ Is anyone among you wise and understanding? That person should show it by living a good life. A wise person isn’t proud when they do good deeds. ¹⁴ But suppose your hearts are jealous and bitter. Suppose you are concerned only about getting ahead. Then don’t brag about it. And don’t say no to the truth. ¹⁵ Wisdom like this doesn’t come down from heaven. It belongs to the earth. It doesn’t come from the Holy Spirit. It comes from the devil. ¹⁶ Are you jealous? Are you concerned only about getting ahead? Then your life will be a mess. You will be doing all kinds of evil things.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it. And that’s not all. It also loves peace. It thinks about others. It obeys. It is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair. It doesn’t pretend to be what it is not. ¹⁸ Those who make peace plant it like a seed. They will harvest a crop of right living.

Obey God

4 Why do you fight and argue among yourselves? Isn’t it because of your sinful desires? They fight within you. ² You want something, but you don’t have it. So you kill. You want what others have, but you can’t get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don’t have what you want, because you don’t ask God. ³ When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. That’s because you ask for the wrong reason. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.

⁴ You are not faithful to God. Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy. ⁵ Don’t you know what Scripture says? God wants the spirit in us to belong only to him. God caused this spirit to live in us. Don’t you think Scripture has a reason for saying this? ⁶ But God continues to give us more grace. That’s why Scripture says,

⁷ So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. ⁸ Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds. ⁹ Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep. Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness. ¹⁰ Be humble in front of the Lord. And he will lift you up.

¹¹ My brothers and sisters, don’t speak against one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister speaks against the law. And anyone who judges another believer judges the law. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it. Instead, you are acting as if you were its judge. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the God who is able to save life or destroy it. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Bragging About Tomorrow

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.” ¹⁴ You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears. ¹⁵ Instead, you should say, “If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you brag. You brag about the evil plans your pride produces. This kind of bragging is evil. ¹⁷ So suppose someone knows the good deeds they should do. But suppose they don’t do them. By not doing these good deeds, they sin.

A Warning to Rich People

5 You rich people, listen to me. Cry and weep, because you will soon be suffering. ² Your riches have rotted. Moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver have lost their brightness. Their dullness will be a witness against you. Your wanting more and more will eat your body like fire. You have stored up riches in these last days. ⁴ You have even failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields. Their pay is crying out against you. The cries of those who gathered the harvest have reached the ears of the Lord. He rules over all. ⁵ You have lived an easy life on earth. You have given yourselves everything you wanted. You have made yourselves fat like cattle that will soon be butchered. ⁶ You have judged and murdered people who aren’t guilty. And they weren’t even opposing you.

Be Patient When You Suffer

⁷ Brothers and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes. See how the farmer waits for the land to produce its rich crop. See how patient the farmer is for the fall and spring rains. ⁸ You too must be patient. You must remain strong. The Lord will soon come back. ⁹ Brothers and sisters, don’t find fault with one another. If you do, you will be judged. And the Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They are an example of how to be patient when you suffer. ¹¹ As you know, we think that people who don’t give up are blessed. You have heard that Job was patient. And you have seen what the Lord finally did for him. The Lord is full of tender mercy and loving concern.

¹² My brothers and sisters, here is what is most important. Don’t make a promise by giving your word. Don’t promise by heaven or earth. And don’t promise by anything else to back up what you say. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” If you do more than this, you will be judged.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Then that person should pray. Is anyone among you happy? Then that person should sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then that person should send for the elders of the church to pray over them. They should ask the elders to anoint them with olive oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ The prayer offered by those who have faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will heal them. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ So confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another so that you might be healed. The prayer of a godly person is powerful. Things happen because of it.

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, just as we are. He prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain. And it didn’t rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again. That time it rained. And the earth produced its crops.

¹⁹ My brothers and sisters, suppose one of you wanders away from the truth. And suppose someone brings that person back. ²⁰ Then here is what I want you to remember. Anyone who keeps a sinner from going astray will save them from death. God will erase many sins by forgiving them.