Beginning

1 ¶ James, {Gr. Jacob} a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

² ¶ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse trials,

³ knowing that the proving of your faith works patience,

⁴ and the patience finishes the work, that ye may be perfect and entire, not lacking in anything.

⁵ And if any of you lacks wisdom, let them ask of God (who gives abundantly to all, and without reproach), and it shall be given them.

⁶ But ask in faith, not doubting anything. For he that doubts is like the wave of the sea which is driven of the wind and is tossed from one side to another.

⁷ For let not such a man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.

⁸ The double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the brother of low degree rejoice in his high status;

¹⁰ and he who is rich, in his low status, because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

¹¹ For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and its flower falls, and the beautiful appearance of it perishes: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

¹² Blessed is the man that patiently endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love him.

¹³ ¶ Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt anyone:

¹⁴ But each one is tempted, when they are drawn away of their own lust and enticed.

¹⁵ Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not err, my beloved brethren.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning.

¹⁸ He, of his own will, has begotten us with the word of truth, that we should be the firstfruits of his creatures.

¹⁹ ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

²⁰ for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.

²¹ So then, leave all uncleanness and remains of malice and receive with meekness the word ingested within you, which is able to cause your souls to be saved.

²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

²³ For if anyone hears the word and does not put it into practice, this same is like unto the man beholding his natural face in a mirror:

²⁴ For he considered himself and went his way and in one hour forgot what he was like.

²⁵ But whosoever has looked attentively into the perfect law of liberty and has persevered in it, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the same shall be blessed in their deed.

²⁶ If anyone among you thinks to be religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, his religion is vain.

²⁷ The pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation and to keep thyself unspotted from this world.

2 ¶ My brethren, do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus, the glorious Christ, with respect of persons.

² For if a man with a gold ring and in precious apparel comes into your synagogue and a poor person in vile raiment also comes in,

³ and ye have respect to him that wears the precious clothing and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there or sit here under my footstool:

⁴ Are ye not then judging in yourselves and are become judges of evil thoughts?

⁵ Hearken, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor of this world that they might be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those that love him?

⁶ But ye have despised the poor. Do not the rich oppress you with tyranny and draw you with violence to the courts?

⁷ Do they not blaspheme that worthy name by which ye are called?

⁸ ¶ If ye truly fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well;

⁹ but if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin and are accused of the law as rebels.

¹⁰ For whosoever shall have kept the whole law, and then offends in one point is made guilty of all.

¹¹ For he that said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not murder. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou commit murder, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

¹² So speak ye and so do as those that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

¹³ For judgment without mercy shall be done unto the one that has shown no mercy; and mercy boasts against judgment.

¹⁴ ¶ My brethren, What shall it profit though someone says that they have faith and do not have works? Shall this type of faith be able to save them?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶ and one of you says unto them, Depart in peace; be ye warmed and filled; but ye do not give them those things which are needful for the body; what shall it profit them?

¹⁷ Even so faith, if it does not have works, is dead in and of itself.

¹⁸ But someone may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

¹⁹ Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well; the demons also believe and tremble.

²⁰ But, O vain man, dost thou desire to know that faith without works is dead?

²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?

²² Dost thou not see how the faith worked together with his works, and the faith was complete by the works?

²³ And that the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the Friend of God.

²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

3 ¶ My brethren, make not unto yourselves many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

² For we all offend in many things. If any man offends not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to govern the whole body with restraint.

³ Behold, we put bits (or restraint) in the horses’ mouths to persuade them, and we govern their whole body.

⁴ Behold also the ships, which though they are so great are driven of fierce winds, yet they are governed with a very small rudder, wherever the governor desires.

⁵ In the same manner, the tongue is a very small member and boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest a little fire kindles!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

⁷ For every nature of beasts and of birds and of serpents and of beings in the sea may be tamed and is tamed by mankind,

⁸ but no man can tame the tongue, which is an evil that cannot be restrained and is full of deadly poison.

⁹ With it we bless God, even the Father; and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.

¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.

¹¹ Does a fountain send forth at the same place both sweet and bitter water?

¹² Can the fig tree, my brethren, produce olive berries? or the vine, figs? In the same manner no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

¹³ ¶ Who is wise and ready among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works in meekness of wisdom.

¹⁴ But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, boast not and do not be liars against the truth.

¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which descends from above, but is earthly, natural, diabolical.

¹⁶ For where there is envy and contention, there is confusion and every perverse work.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, benevolent, full of mercy and of good fruits, not judgmental, unfeigned.

¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace unto those that make peace.

4 ¶ Where do the wars and disputes come from among you? Is it not from here, that is to say, of your lusts which fight in your members?

² Ye covet and have not; ye murder, and have envy and cannot obtain; ye fight and war and have not that which ye desire because ye ask not.

³ Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your pleasures.

⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore that desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself the enemy of God.

⁵ Do ye think that the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?

⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.

⁷ Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

⁹ Be afflicted and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

¹¹ ¶ Murmur not against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a keeper of the law, but a judge.

¹² There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou to judge another?

¹³ Come now, ye that say, Today and tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain;

¹⁴ and ye do not know what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? Certainly it is a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

¹⁵ Ye ought to say instead, If the Lord wills, and if we live, we shall do this or that.

¹⁶ But now ye boast in your arrogance; all such glory is evil.

¹⁷ Therefore sin is still in the one that knows to do good and does not do it.

5 ¶ Come now, Oh ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

² Your riches are rotten, and your garments are motheaten.

³ Your gold and silver is corrupted with rust; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall completely eat your flesh, as fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

⁴ Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped your fields (which you have kept back by fraud) cries out; and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of the hosts.

⁵ Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton; ye have refreshed your hearts, as in the day of slaughter of sacrifices.

⁶ Ye have condemned and murdered the just, and he does not resist you.

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently until it receives the early and latter rain.

⁸ Be ye also patient and confirm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near.

⁹ Complain not one against another, brethren, that ye not be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

¹⁰ Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

¹¹ Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.

¹² ¶ But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you afflicted? let them pray. Is anyone happy? let them sing.

¹⁴ Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the congregation; {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

¹⁵ and the prayer of faith shall cause the one who is sick to be saved, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he shall be forgiven them.

¹⁶ Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be whole. The effectual prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

¹⁷ Elijah was a man subject to passions like unto ours, and he asked in prayer that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

¹⁹ Brethren, if any of you have erred from the truth, and someone should convert him;

²⁰ let that one know, that whosoever causes the sinner to convert from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins.