James 1

¹James, servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the dispersion, greetings.

²My brothers, when you have fallen into various trials, consider everything a joy,

³knowing that the proving of your faith exercises patience,

⁴and patience brings a work to perfection, so that you may be perfect and whole, deficient in nothing.

⁵But if anyone among you is in need of wisdom, let him petition God, who gives abundantly to all without reproach, and it shall be given to him.

⁶But he should ask with faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave on the ocean, which is moved about by the wind and carried away;

⁷then a man should not consider that he would receive anything from the Lord.

⁸For a man who is of two minds is inconstant in all his ways.

⁹Now a humble brother should glory in his exaltation,

¹⁰and a rich one, in his humiliation, for he will pass away like the flower of the grass.

¹¹For the sun has risen with a scorching heat, and has dried the grass, and its flower has fallen off, and the appearance of its beauty has perished. So also will the rich one wither away, according to his paths.

¹²Blessed is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.

¹³No one should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself tempts no one.

¹⁴Yet truly, each one is tempted by his own desires, having been enticed and drawn away.

¹⁵Thereafter, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Yet truly sin, when it has been consummated, produces death.

¹⁶And so, do not choose to go astray, my most beloved brothers.

¹⁷Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration.

¹⁸For by his own will he produced us through the Word of truth, so that we might be a kind of beginning among his creatures.

¹⁹You know this, my most beloved brothers. So let every man be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to anger.

²⁰For the anger of man does not accomplish the justice of God.

²¹Because of this, having cast away all uncleanness and an abundance of malice, receive with meekness the newly-grafted Word, which is able to save your souls.

²²So be doers of the Word, and not listeners only, deceiving yourselves.

²³For if anyone is a listener of the Word, but not also a doer, he is comparable to a man gazing into a mirror upon the face that he was born with;

²⁴and after considering himself, he went away and promptly forgot what he had seen.

²⁵But he who gazes upon the perfect law of liberty, and who remains in it, is not a forgetful hearer, but instead a doer of the work. He shall be blessed in what he does.

²⁶But if anyone considers himself to be religious, but he does not restrain his tongue, but instead seduces his own heart: such a one’s religion is vanity.

²⁷This is religion, clean and undefiled before God the Father: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulations, and to keep yourself immaculate, apart from this age.

James 1

¹James, the servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

²My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers temptations:

³Knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience

⁴And patience hath a perfect work: that you may be perfect and entire, failing in nothing.

⁵But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God who giveth to all men abundantly and upbraideth not. And it shall be given him.

⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind.

⁷Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

⁸A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways.

⁹But let the brother of low condition glory in his exaltation:

¹⁰And the rich, in his being low: because as the flower of the grass shall he pass away.

¹¹For the sun rose with a burning heat and parched the grass: and the flower thereof fell off, and the beauty of the shape thereof perished. So also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for, when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life which God hath promised to them that love him.

¹³Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of evils: and he tempteth no man.

¹⁴But every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured.

¹⁵Then, when concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But sin, when it is completed, begetteth death.

¹⁶Do not err, therefore, my dearest brethren.

¹⁷Every best gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change nor shadow of alteration.

¹⁸For of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth, that we might be some beginning of his creature.

¹⁹You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak and slow to anger.

²⁰For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God.

²¹Wherefore, casting away all uncleanness and abundance of naughtiness, with meekness receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

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

²³For if a man be a hearer of the word and not a doer, he shall be compared to a man beholding his own countenance in a glass.

²⁴For he beheld himself and went his way and presently forgot what manner of man he was.

²⁵But he that hath looked into the perfect law of liberty and hath continued therein, not becoming a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work: this man shall be blessed in his deed.

²⁶And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

²⁷Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation and to keep one's self unspotted from this world.