James 1
1
Faith and Wisdom
1From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To all of God’s people who are scattered everywhere in the world:
Greetings.
2My brothers, you will have many kinds of troubles. But when these things happen, you should be very happy. 3You know that these things are testing your faith. And this will give you patience. 4Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete. You will have everything you need. 5But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. God is generous. He enjoys giving to all people, so God will give you wisdom. 6But when you ask God, you must believe. Do not doubt God. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea. The wind blows the wave up and down. 7-8He who doubts is thinking two different things at the same time. He cannot decide about anything he does. A person like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
True Riches
9If a believer is poor, he should take pride that God has made him spiritually rich. 10If he is rich, he should take pride that God has shown him that he is spiritually poor. The rich person will die like a wild flower in the grass. 11The sun rises and becomes hotter and hotter. The heat makes the plants very dry, and the flower falls off. The flower was beautiful, but now it is dead. It is the same with a rich person. While he is still taking care of his business, he will die.
Temptation Is Not from God
12When a person is tempted and still continues strong, he should be happy. After he has proved his faith, God will reward him with life forever. God promised this to all people who love him. 13When someone is being tempted, he should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. 14It is the evil that a person wants that tempts him. His own evil desire leads him away and holds him. 15This desire causes sin. Then the sin grows and brings death.
16My dear brothers, do not be fooled about this. 17Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars. God does not change like their shifting shadows. 18God decided to give us life through the word of truth. He wanted us to be the most important of all the things he made.
Listening and Obeying
19My dear brothers, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily. 20Anger will not help you live a good life as God wants. 21So put out of your life every evil thing and every kind of wrong you do. Don’t be proud but accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save your souls.
22Do what God’s teaching says; do not just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves. 23A person who hears God’s teaching and does nothing is like a man looking in a mirror. 24He sees his face, then goes away and quickly forgets what he looked like. 25But the truly happy person is the one who carefully studies God’s perfect law that makes people free. He continues to study it. He listens to God’s teaching and does not forget what he heard. Then he obeys what God’s teaching says. When he does this, it makes him happy.
The True Way to Worship God
26A person might think he is religious. But if he says things he should not say, then he is just fooling himself. His “religion” is worth nothing. 27Religion that God the Father accepts is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help; and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of religion that God accepts as pure and good.
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James 1: ICB
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Ya'akov 1
1
1Ya'akov,#1:1 See Mt 13:55 eved (servant) of Hashem and of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua; To the Shneym Asar HaShevatim (Twelve Tribes) in the Golus, Shalom!#1:1 Dt 32:26
2Consider it all simcha, my Achim b'Moshiach, whenever you fall into various nisayonos (tests, trials),
3Because you have da'as that the emunah you have, when it is tested, produces savlanut (patient endurance).
4And let savlanut be shleimah in its po'al (work) in order that you may be mevugarim (mature, grown up) and complete, lacking in nothing.
5But if any one of you is lacking chochmah (wisdom), let him direct tefillah (prayer) and techinot (petitions) to Hashem, the One whose matanot (gifts) are given generously and without grudging, and chochmah will be given to him.#1:5 1Kgs 3:9,10; Prov 2:3-6; Ps 51:6; Dan 1:17; 2:21
6But let the tefillah be offered with much bitachon in emunah (faith), in no way doubting. For the doubtful man, wavering in emunah, is like a wave of the yam (sea), being tossed by the wind.#1:6 1Kgs 18:21
7Let not such a one presume that he will receive anything from Adoneinu.
8He is an ish (man) of double mind, in all his drakhim (ways), mesupak (uncertain, having doubts) and unstable.#1:8 Ps 119:113
9But let the Ach b'Moshiach of shiflut (lowliness) glory in the da'as that Hashem will exalt him.
10And let the Ach b'Moshiach who has osher (riches) glory in his bizyoinos (humiliation), in the da'as that Hashem will bring him low, because KOL HABASAR KHATZIR#1:10 Isa 40:6,7 (All flesh is grass) and so he likewise will vanish.#1:10 Job 14:2; Ps 103:15,16
11For the shemesh (sun) rose with its burning heat and dried the grass and its TZITZ NAVEL#1:11 Isa 40:6-8 (flower blossom fell). And the beauty of its appearance perished, so also the “oisher” (rich man) in his goings will fade away.#1:11 Ps 102:4,11
12Ashrey is the one who stands up under nisayon (trial), because, having become approved, that one will be given the Ateret HaChayyim (Crown of Life), which Hashem gave as a havtachah (promise) to those having Ahavas Hashem.
13However, let no one say, when he is tempted, “From Hashem I am being tempted,” for Hashem cannot be tempted to crave ra'ah (evil), and He Himself trips up no one with nisayon (temptation).
14But each one is tempted by his own ta'avah (lust, yetzer hara), being dragged off by it and being allured.#1:14 Prov 19:3
15Then after her conception Ta'avah gives birth to Averah (Transgression) and Averah, once she has fully developed, gives birth to Mavet.#1:15 Gn 3:6; Job 15:35; Ps 7:14; Isa 59:4
16Do not fall under a delusion, my beloved Achim b'Moshiach.
17Every good endowment and every matanah shleimah (complete gift) is from above, coming down from Avi HaOhrot (the Father of Lights) with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.#1:17 Ps 85:12; Gn 1:16; Ps 136:7; Dan 2:22; Num 23:19; Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6
18Birtzon Hashem (by the will of G-d), he gave birth to us by the Dvar HaEmes, that we might be a kind of bikkurim (firstfruits) of all he created.#1:18 Jer 2:3
19Have da'as of this, my beloved Achim b'Moshiach. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to ka'as (anger).#1:19 Prov 10:19
20For the ka'as of Bnei Adam does not accomplish the Tzikat Hashem.
21Therefore, having put away all filthiness and what remains of resha (wickedness) in shiflut (lowliness) and meekness receive the implanted Dvar Hashem which is able to save your nefashot.#1:21 Rv 3:20
22Now be Shomrei HaDvar Hashem and not Shomei HaDvar only, thereby causing yourselves to fall under remiyah (deceit, deception).
23Because if anyone is Shomei HaDavar and not Shomrei HaDavar, this one is like a man looking at his ponum in a mirror,
24For he observed himself and has gone away and immediately forgot what he looked like.
25But the one having peered into the Torah HaShleimah (the Perfect Torah), the Torah HaCherut (the Torah of Freedom), and there remaining, not as a forgetful listener but one who is shomer mitzvot and goes into action, this one will have a bracha on his head in all his acts.#1:25 Ps 19:7
26If anyone considers himself to be one of the Charedim [Orthodox, G-d-fearing Jewish religious ones], yet has lashon hora and does not bridle his tongue but instead causes his lev to fall under remiyah (deceit), this oneʼs chasidus (piety) is worthless.#1:26 Ps 34:13; 39:1; 141:3
27Avodas Kodesh that is tehorah (pure) and tamimah (unblemished) before Elohim HaAv is this: to visit yetomim (orphans) and almanot (widows) in their tzoros and to be shomer against the defilement of the Olam Hazeh.#1:27 Dt 14:29; Job 31:16,17,21; Ps 146:9; Isa 1:17,23
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.