James 1

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

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.

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

2My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you face various kinds of trials.

3knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.

3You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

4Let endurance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

5But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

5If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to everyone without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

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

6But you must ask in faith without doubting, because the person who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

7For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord;

7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

8a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

8Such a person is double-minded and unstable in everything they do.

9But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate:

9Believers in humble circumstances should take pride in their high standing.

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

10But the rich should take pride in their humiliation, since they will pass away like a wild flower.

11For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and 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 goings.

11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

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

12Blessed is the person who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:

13When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.

14but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

14But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

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

15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.

16Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.

17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

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

18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

19Ye knowthis, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

19My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

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

20Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

21Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

21Therefore, 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.

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

22Do what the word says, and do not merely listen to it, and so deceive yourselves.

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

23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror.

24for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

24After looking at himself, he goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

25But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.

25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

26If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain.

26Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

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

27Religion 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.