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James
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James,
a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes
scattered among the nations: Greetings. {2} Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because
you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4}
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and
complete, not lacking anything. {5} If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him. {6} But when he asks, he must
believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind. {7} That man should not think he
will receive anything from the Lord; {8} he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all he does. {9} The brother in humble
circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. {10} But
the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he
will pass away like a wild flower. {11} For the sun rises with
scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty
is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he
goes about his business. {12} Blessed is the man who perseveres
under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the
crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. {13}
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; {14} but each one is
tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
{15} Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and
sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. {16} Don't be
deceived, my dear brothers. {17} Every good and perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does
not change like shifting shadows. {18} He chose to give us birth
through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all
he created. {19} My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
{20} for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that
God desires. {21} Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the
evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,
which can save you. {22} Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says. {23} Anyone who listens to
the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his
face in a mirror {24} and, after looking at himself, goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like. {25} But the man who
looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to
do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be
blessed in what he does. {26} If anyone considers himself
religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives
himself and his religion is worthless. {27} Religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and
widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the
world. |
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James
2 |
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My
brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show
favoritism. {2} Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a
gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes
in. {3} If you show special attention to the man wearing fine
clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man,
"You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," {4} have you
not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
{5} Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor
in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom
he promised those who love him? {6} But you have insulted the
poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones
who are dragging you into court? {7} Are they not the ones who
are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? {8} If
you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as
yourself," you are doing right. {9} But if you show favoritism,
you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. {10} For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty
of breaking all of it. {11} For he who said, "Do not commit
adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but
do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. {12} Speak and
act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
{13} because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has
not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment! {14} What good
is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can
such faith save him? {15} Suppose a brother or sister is without
clothes and daily food. {16} If one of you says to him, "Go, I
wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his
physical needs, what good is it? {17} In the same way, faith by
itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. {18} But
someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith
without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. {19}
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe
that--and shudder. {20} You foolish man, do you want evidence
that faith without deeds is useless ? {21} Was not our ancestor
Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son
Isaac on the altar? {22} You see that his faith and his actions
were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
{23} And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called
God's friend. {24} You see that a person is justified by what he
does and not by faith alone. {25} In the same way, was not even
Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave
lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? {26}
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is
dead. |
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James 3 |
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Not
many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know
that we who teach will be judged more strictly. {2} We all
stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is
a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. {3} When we
put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the
whole animal. {4} Or take ships as an example. Although they are
so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very
small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. {5} Likewise the
tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider
what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. {6} The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It
corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire,
and is itself set on fire by hell. {7} All kinds of animals,
birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been
tamed by man, {8} but no man can tame the tongue. It is a
restless evil, full of deadly poison. {9} With the tongue we
praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made
in God's likeness. {10} Out of the same mouth come praise and
cursing. My brothers, this should not be. {11} Can both fresh
water and salt water flow from the same spring? {12} My brothers,
can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt
spring produce fresh water. {13} Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the
humility that comes from wisdom. {14} But if you harbor bitter
envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny
the truth. {15} Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but
is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. {16} For where you have
envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil
practice. {17} But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of
all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and
good fruit, impartial and sincere. {18} Peacemakers who sow in
peace raise a harvest of righteousness. |
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James 4 |
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What
causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires
that battle within you? {2} You want something but don't get it.
You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and
fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. {3} When you
ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you
may spend what you get on your pleasures. {4} You adulterous
people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward
God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
God. {5} Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the
spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? {6} But he gives
us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but
gives grace to the humble." {7} Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. {8} Come near to God
and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify
your hearts, you double-minded. {9} Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. {10}
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. {11}
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his
brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you
judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
{12} There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to
save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor? {13}
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or
that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."
{14} Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is
your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. {15} Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's
will, we will live and do this or that." {16} As it is, you boast
and brag. All such boasting is evil. {17} Anyone, then, who knows
the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. |
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James 5 |
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Now
listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is
coming upon you. {2} Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten
your clothes. {3} Your gold and silver are corroded. Their
corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You
have hoarded wealth in the last days. {4} Look! The wages you
failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against
you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord
Almighty. {5} You have lived on earth in luxury and
self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.
{6} You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not
opposing you. {7} Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's
coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop
and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. {8} You
too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
{9} Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be
judged. The Judge is standing at the door! {10} Brothers, as an
example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who
spoke in the name of the Lord. {11} As you know, we consider
blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance
and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of
compassion and mercy. {12} Above all, my brothers, do not
swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be
yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. {13} Is any one
of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs
of praise. {14} Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders
of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of
the Lord. {15} And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick
person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be
forgiven. {16} Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray
for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man
is powerful and effective. {17} Elijah was a man just like us. He
prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land
for three and a half years. {18} Again he prayed, and the heavens
gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. {19} My brothers, if
one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him
back, {20} remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error
of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. |
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