James 1
1
1 #
Mt 13.55; Mk 6.3; Acts 15.13; Gal 1.19 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.
Faith and Wisdom
2My brothers and sisters, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. 4Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. 6But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. 7-8People like that, unable to make up their minds and undecided in all they do, must not think that they will receive anything from the Lord.
Poverty and Riches
9Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, 10#Is 40.6–7 (LXX)and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. 11The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.
Testing and Tempting
12Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him. 13If people are tempted by such trials, they must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But people are tempted when they are drawn away and trapped by their own evil desires. 15Then their evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters! 17Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. 18By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.
Hearing and Doing
19Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. 20Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose. 21So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
22Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. 23Whoever listens to the word but does not put it into practice is like a man who looks in a mirror and sees himself as he is. 24He takes a good look at himself and then goes away and at once forgets what he looks like. 25But those who look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, who keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice — they will be blessed by God in what they do.
26Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourselves. 27What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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.