James 1

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

²Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into various temptations;

³knowing that the trying of your faith worketh endurance.

⁴But let endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting in nothing.

⁵But if any one of you is wanting in wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it will be given him.

⁶But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting; for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

⁷For let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord,

⁸a double-minded man as he is, unstable in all his ways.

⁹Let the brother of low degree glory in that he is exalted;

¹⁰but the rich, in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass he will pass away.

¹¹For the sun rose with its burning heat, and withered the grass, and its flower fell off, and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also will the rich man fade away in his ways.

¹²Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is approved, he will receive the crown of life, which He promised to them that love him.

¹³Let no one when he is tempted, say, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he tempteth no one.

¹⁴But each one is tempted when by his own lust he is led away and enticed;

¹⁵then lust, having conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin, when completed, bringeth forth death.

¹⁶Do not err, my beloved brethren.

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

¹⁸Of his own will he begot us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.

¹⁹Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

²¹Wherefore put off all filthiness, and excess of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

²²But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

²³For if any one is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass;

²⁴for he beholds himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what manner of man he was.

²⁵But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty, and remains there, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in his deed.

²⁶If any one thinks that he is religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

²⁷Pure religion and undefiled before God, the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep one’s self unspotted from the world.

James 1

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

²My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

⁴But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

⁵If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, 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 driven with the wind and tossed.

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

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

⁹Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:

¹⁰But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

¹¹For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

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

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

¹⁶Do not err, my beloved brethren.

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

¹⁸Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

¹⁹Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

²⁰For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

²¹Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted 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 any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

²⁴For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

²⁵But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

²⁶If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

²⁷Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.