James' Letter
1James, a servant of God and the Master, Jesus the Messiah, to the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad: Hello!
Consider all of it as joy, my brothers, whenever you fall [victim] to various tests, because you know that the testing of your faith yields persistence. Now let persistence have its complete work, that you may be complete and whole, lacking nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God (who gives to everyone unhesitatingly and does not disgrace [anyone]), and it will be given to him. However, he must ask in faith, not being hesitant about anything, because whoever is hesitant is like a wave of the sea, shoved around and tossed by the wind. That kind of man should not expect to receive anything from the Master. He is a fickle man, unstable in all his ways.
So let the brother of humble circumstances be proud of his exaltation, and let the wealthy [brother] be proud of his demotion, because “it will pass away like the flower of the field.” The sun has risen with its heat and “has dried up the field, and its flowers have fallen,” and the beauty of its appearance has been destroyed. In the same way, the wealthy one will be withered in his pursuits.
To be envied is the man who persists under temptation—once he is proven, he will receive the crown of life, which has been promised to those who love him. No one should say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God.” This is because God is not tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, everyone is tempted by his own desires when he is lured and baited [by them]. When desire becomes pregnant, it gives birth to sin, and when sin matures, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my dearest brothers. Every good gift—every perfect gift—is from above, and has descended from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no change, or even a variation in shadow. And he wanted to bring us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be a kind of a first harvest among his creation.
Understand, my dearest brothers: every man must be quick to hear, but slow to speak and slow to become angry, because man’s anger does not bring about God’s righteousness. Therefore, put away all filthiness and excess of evil, and receive with humility the implanted word that is able to save your lives. Be doers of the word, and not just hearers, which is cheating yourselves; because if someone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man inspecting his natural face in a mirror. He inspected himself and left, and immediately forgot what kind of man he was. However, whoever glances into the mature law of freedom and persists in it—he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, and he will be prosperous in whatever he does.
If someone considers himself to be religious, but does not restrain his own tongue, he cheats his heart—this man’s religion is worthless. Pure and unstained religion before God our Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their grief, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
2My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Master, Jesus the Messiah, with prejudice. If a man enters your meeting place wearing gold rings and noble clothing, and also a poor man enters wearing rags, and you look [favorably] upon the one wearing noble clothing and say, “You may very well sit here,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or “Sit by my feet,” have you not made a division within yourselves, and become judges with even thoughts? Listen, my dearest brothers: Did God not choose the poor of the world with faith rather than the wealthy as heirs of kingdoms, which he promised to those who love him? But you have disgraced the poor! Do not the wealthy enslave you and summon you to judgment? Do they not also slander the good name by which you are called? On the other hand, if you complete the royal rule according to the Scriptures, “You shall love your neighbor like yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin, convicted by the law as lawbreakers. You see, whoever keeps the whole law, and yet fails in one part, he has become guilty of it all. He who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but yet you murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak like this—and act like this—like you will be judged by the law of freedom, because judgment will be merciless to the one who shows no mercy—mercy is triumphant over judgment.
What is the use, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but does not have works? Is that kind of faith able to save him? If a brother or sister is presently naked and lacking his daily bread, and you tell him, “Go away in peace; be warm and full,” without giving them what their bodies need, what is the use? It is the same way with faith. If it does not have works, it is by itself and dead. Yet someone will say, “You have faith,” but I have works! Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that “God is one [God].” Good for you! The demons believe that, too, and they tremble! Do you really want to know, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless? Was Abraham our father not justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? You see that faith operates together with works, and it is by works that faith is completed. The scripture was fulfilled that said, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and “He was called God’s friend.” Notice that it is by works that a man is justified and not by faith only. In the same way, [look at] Rahab the harlot: was she not justified by works, by receiving the messengers and sending them out by another way? Just like the body is dead without the spirit, faith is dead without works.
3Many of you should not become teachers, my brothers, because you know that we will receive stricter judgment. We all fail in many ways. If anyone does not fail in speech, he is a perfect man, able to restrain his whole body. Now, if we put a bridle in horses’ mouths so that we can guide their whole bodies and steer them where we want them to go. Look at the boats: although they are so big and are driven by hard winds, one is steered by the smallest [thing]—a rudder—wherever the captain wishes to guide it. The tongue is the same way: it is a small part [of the body], but it boasts great things. Look how a small fire can engulf a great forest! The tongue is [also] a fire, a world of unrighteousness. It is placed among the parts of our bodies, and it corrupts the whole body and sets on fire the cycle of life. It is itself set on fire by hell. So all species of beasts, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed—and have been tamed—by humans, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a volatile evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Master and Father, and with it we curse our brothers, who were created in God’s image—by the same mouth come blessings and curses. That’s not right, my brothers; these things should not be this way! Does sweet and bitter water flow from a single fountain? Isn’t it impossible, my brothers, for a fig tree to grow olives, or for a vine to grow figs? Neither can a saltwater spring produce sweet water.
xWho among you is wise and knowledgeable? He must demonstrate his actions in the meekness of wisdom by good conduct. But if you have bitter jealousy and strife in your hearts, you are holding the truth in contempt and lying against it. This is not the wisdom from above, but rather it is worldly, animal, and demonic [wisdom]. Where zeal and strife come, instability and every foul thing follow. But the wisdom that is from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, proper, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, unhesitating, and not hypocritical. The fruit of righteousness sows in peace to those who make peace. 4Where do wars and fights among you originate? Do they not come from your desires, which wage war in the parts of your body? You desire, but do not have. So you murder and become jealous, but you cannot win. So you fight and wage war, but you do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with evil [intent], that you might spend it on your own pleasures. Adulterers! Do you not see that loving the world is hostility against God? So whoever wants to become a friend of the world places himself as an enemy against God. Or do you think that the scripture says for no reason, “The Spirit that dwells in you yearns with jealousy,” and “God wages in battle against the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble.” So submit yourselves to God. Stand against the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you fickle people. Be miserable, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into shame. Humble yourselves before the Master, and He will exalt you.
Do not criticize one another, brothers. Whoever criticizes a brother or judges his brother [also] criticizes and judges the law. And if you are judging the law, you are not a “doer of the law,” but a judge. There is [only] one lawgiver and judge: the one who can save and destroy. Just who are you, whoever judges his neighbor?
Come on now, you who are saying, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into this city, work there for a year, and then sell and make profit.” You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are only steam, which is seen for a little while, and then disappears. Because of this, you should say, “If the Master is willing, we shall both live and do this or that.” However, now you are taking pride in your boasting. All such pride is evil. So if one knows to do good and does not do it, it is a sin.
5Come on now, you wealthy people! Weep, crying aloud about the misery that is coming upon you! Your wealth has decayed, and your clothing has been eaten by moths; your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust shall be proof to you—it shall consume your bodies like fire. Sure, you stored up treasure in these last days, but look! The withheld wages of the workers who reaped in your fields—they are crying out against you, and the prayers of the harvesters have arrived at the ears of the Master of Armies. You fared comfortably in the land, and you lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous, and he does not fight back.
So be patient, brothers, until the Master’s return. Look at this: the farmer waits for the precious fruits of the ground, being patient with it until he receives both early and late [harvests]. You too must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Master’s return is near. Brothers do not complain against each other, so that you are not condemned. You see, the Master is standing at the door. Use this as an example, brothers: the suffering and patience of the prophets. They spoke in the Master’s name. See, we bless those who remained [faithful]. You have heard of Job’s endurance, and you know how God ended the story, because the Master is very compassionate and full of pity. But above all, my brothers, do not make promises, either by heaven, or earth, or any other promise. Rather let your “yes” mean “yes,” and your “no” mean “no,” so that you do not fall into condemnation.
Who among you is suffering? He must pray. Who is in a good mood? He must sing praises. Who among you is sick? He must call upon the church’s elders, and they will pray over him and smear olive oil [on him] in the Master’s name. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Master will raise him. Also, whatever sins he has done will be forgiven him. So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. A righteous person’s prayer works with much strength. Elijah was a man with sufferings similar to ours, and by prayer he asked that it not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the land sprouted its fruit. My brothers, if one of you is deceived from the truth, and someone turns him back around, understand that whoever turns a sinner around from his way of deception will save his soul from death and will cover a mob of sins.
