James

Shaliah New Testament Translation

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Commentary | Interlinear | English

James 1

(1) James, a slave of God and of the lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion: greetings.

(2) Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (4) And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (5) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from the God who gives to all generously and without reproaching, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing; for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, being wind-tossed and blown about. (7) For that man must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord — (8) a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

(9) But let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, (10) and the rich in his lowliness, because like a flower of grass he will pass away. (11) For the sun rose with the burning heat and dried the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the beauty of its face perished; so also the rich man will wither in his journeys.

(12) Blessed is a man who endures trial, because, having become approved, he will receive the crown of life, which He promised to those who love Him. (13) Let no one who is being tempted say, “From God I am being tempted.” For God is untemptable by evil, and He tempts no one. (14) But each one is tempted by his own desire, being dragged away and enticed. (15) Then desire, having conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, having been completed, brings forth death. (16) Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. (17) Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (18) Having willed it, He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be a kind of first-fruit of His creatures.

(19) Know this, my beloved brothers: let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. (20) For the anger of a man does not produce the righteousness of God. (21) Therefore, having put away all filthiness and abundance of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (22) But become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observed himself and has gone away, and immediately he forgot what kind he was. (25) But the one who has stooped into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued — not having become a hearer of forgetfulness but a doer of work — this one will be blessed in his doing. (26) If anyone thinks he is religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, this one’s religion is vain. (27) Pure and undefiled religion before God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation, to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James 2

(1) My brothers, do not hold the faith of our lord Jesus Christ, the glory, with favoritism. (2) For if a gold-ringed man in shining clothing enters your gathering, and a poor man in filthy clothing also enters, (3) and you look upon the one wearing the shining clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor you say, “You stand there, or sit under my footstool” — (4) did you not make distinctions among yourselves and become judges of evil reasonings? (5) Listen, my beloved brothers: did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He promised to those who love Him? (6) But you dishonored the poor. Do not the rich dominate you, and do they themselves drag you into courts? (7) Do they not blaspheme the good name that was called upon you?

(8) If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. (9) But if you favor persons, you work sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. (10) For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of all. (11) For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” But if you do not commit adultery yet murder, you have become a transgressor of law. (12) So speak and so do, as those about to be judged through the law of freedom. (13) For the judgment is merciless to the one who did not do mercy; mercy boasts over judgment.

(14) What is the profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? The faith is not able to save him, is it? (15) If a brother or a sister are naked and lacking daily food, (16) and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what is the profit? (17) So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. (18) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from the works, and I will show you the faith from my works.” (19) You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder. (20) But do you wish to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is idle? (21) Was not Abraham our father justified from works, having offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? (22) You see that the faith was working with his works, and from the works the faith was perfected. (23) And the scripture was fulfilled, saying, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. (24) You see that a man is justified from works, and not from faith only. (25) And in the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute justified from works, having received the messengers and having sent them out by a different road? (26) For just as the body apart from spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

James 3

(1) Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a greater judgment. (2) For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in speech, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle even the whole body. (3) And if we put the bridles into the mouths of the horses so that they obey us, we also turn their whole body. (4) Behold also the ships: though they are so great and are driven by harsh winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the pilot wills. (5) So also the tongue is a small member and boasts great things. Behold, how great a forest a little fire sets ablaze! (6) And the tongue is a fire — the world of unrighteousness. The tongue is appointed among our members, staining the whole body and setting ablaze the wheel of birth, and is set ablaze by Gehenna. (7) For every species of wild animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human nature. (8) But the tongue — no one among humans is able to tame it. It is an unstable evil, full of death-bringing poison. (9) With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse humans who have come to be in the likeness of God. (10) From the same mouth comes blessing and curse. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (11) Does a spring pour forth from the same opening the sweet and the bitter? (12) My brothers, can a fig tree produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither can salt water produce sweet.

(13) Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show his works from the good conduct, in the meekness of wisdom. (14) But if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. (15) This wisdom is not coming down from above, but is earthly, soulish, demonic. (16) For where there is jealousy and rivalry, there is instability and every evil thing. (17) But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, unhypocritical. (18) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James 4

(1) From where do wars come, and from where do fights come among you? Is it not from here — from your pleasures that campaign among your members? (2) You desire and do not have. You murder and are jealous and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask for yourselves. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. (4) Adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world is established as an enemy of God. (5) Or do you think the scripture speaks in vain? He longs jealously for the spirit which He caused to dwell in us. (6) But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (7) Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded ones. (9) Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into dejection. (10) Be humbled before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

(11) Do not speak against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against law and judges law. But if you judge law, you are not a doer of law but a judge. (12) There is one lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy. But you — who are you, the one judging your neighbor?

(13) Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city and will spend a year there and will trade and will gain” — (14) you who do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears. (15) Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and will do this or that.” (16) But now you boast in your arrogances. All such boasting is evil. (17) Therefore, for the one who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin for him.

James 5

(1) Come now, you rich, weep, wailing over the miseries coming upon you. (2) Your wealth has rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten. (3) Your gold and silver have been corroded, and their rust will be a testimony to you and will eat your flesh like fire. You treasured in the last days! (4) Behold, the wage of the workers who harvested your fields — having been withheld by you — cries out, and the cries of the harvesters have entered the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (5) You lived in luxury on the earth and were wanton; you fed your hearts in a day of slaughter. (6) You condemned; you murdered the righteous one; he does not resist you.

(7) Be patient therefore, brothers, until the arrival of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient upon it until he receives the early and the late rain. (8) Be patient also; strengthen your hearts, because the arrival of the Lord has drawn near. (9) Do not groan against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge has stood before the doors. (10) Take as an example of suffering and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (11) Behold, we count blessed those who endured. You heard of the endurance of Job, and you saw the outcome of the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

(12) But above all, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath; but let your yes be yes and your no be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

(13) Does anyone among you suffer misfortune? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. (14) Is anyone among you sick? Let him summon the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer of faith will save the weary one, and the Lord will raise him; and even if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven to him. (16) Confess therefore your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The supplication of a righteous one is very powerful, being at work. (17) Elijah was a man of like nature with us, and he prayed with prayer for it not to rain, and it did not rain upon the earth for three years and six months. (18) And again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth sprouted its fruit.

(19) My brothers, if anyone among you is led astray from the truth, and someone turns him back, (20) let him know that the one who turns back a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.