James 1
1
Greeting
1From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To God’s faithful people #1:1 Or “to the twelve tribes.” who have been scattered.
Greetings.
When You Are Tested, Turn to God
2My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you are tested in different ways. 3You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. 4Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.
5If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn’t find fault with them. 6When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts. A person who has doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea. 7A person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything.
9Humble believers should be proud because being humble makes them important. 10Rich believers should be proud because being rich should make them humble. Rich people will wither like flowers. 11The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up plants. The flowers drop off, and the beauty is gone. The same thing will happen to rich people. While they are busy, they will die.
12Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13When someone is tempted, he shouldn’t say that God is tempting him. God can’t be tempted by evil, and God doesn’t tempt anyone. 14Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. 15Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death.
16My dear brothers and sisters, don’t be fooled. 17Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.
18God decided to give us life through the word of truth to make us his most important creatures.
19Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and should not get angry easily. 20An angry person doesn’t do what God approves of. 21So get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save you.
22Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves. 23If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t do what it says, he is like a person who looks at his face in a mirror, 24studies his features, goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25However, the person who continues to study God’s perfect laws that make people free and who remains committed to them will be blessed. People like that don’t merely listen and forget; they actually do what God’s laws say.
26If a person thinks that he is religious but can’t control his tongue, he is fooling himself. That person’s religion is worthless. 27Pure, unstained religion, according to God our Father, is to take care of orphans and widows when they suffer and to remain uncorrupted by this world.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
James 1
1
Greeting
1 # See Acts 12:17 James, a servant#1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface of God and #Rom. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1; Jude 1 of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To #Luke 22:30; Acts 26:7 the twelve tribes in #1 Pet. 1:1; [Acts 2:9-11]; See John 7:35the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Testing of Your Faith
2 # See Matt. 5:12 Count it all joy, my brothers,#1:2 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 16, 19 when you meet trials #1 Pet. 1:6of various kinds, 3for you know that #1 Pet. 1:7 the testing of your faith #Rom. 5:3; [ch. 5:11; Heb. 10:36; 2 Pet. 1:6]produces steadfastness. 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be #1 Thess. 5:23; See Matt. 5:48perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 #
1 Kgs. 3:9-12; Prov. 2:3-6 If any of you lacks wisdom, #See Matt. 7:7 let him ask God, #Prov. 28:5who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6But #Mark 11:24 let him ask in faith, #Matt. 21:21 with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like #[Isa. 57:20; Eph. 4:14]a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8#ch. 4:8 he is a double-minded man, #[2 Pet. 2:14; 3:16]unstable in all his ways.
9Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10and #Jer. 9:23 the rich in his humiliation, because #[Ps. 102:4, 11; 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 Pet. 1:24]like a flower of the grass#1:10 Or a wild flower he will pass away. 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and #Isa. 40:7withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 # ch. 5:11; Matt. 10:22; 1 Pet. 3:14; [Dan. 12:12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive #Rev. 2:10; 3:11; [1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4] the crown of life, #ch. 2:5which God has promised to those who love him. 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire #Job 15:35; Ps. 7:14; Isa. 59:4 when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and #Rom. 5:12; 6:23sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17#Ps. 85:12; John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from #1 John 1:5 the Father of lights, #Mal. 3:6with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.#1:17 Some manuscripts variation due to a shadow of turning 18#John 1:13 Of his own will he #[Gal. 4:19; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23] brought us forth by the word of truth, #[Eph. 1:12] that we should be a kind of #Jer. 2:3; Rev. 14:4; [Rom. 8:19-23]firstfruits of his creatures.
Hearing and Doing the Word
19 #
1 John 2:21 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person #[Eccles. 5:1, 2] be quick to hear, #Prov. 10:19; 17:27 slow to speak, #See Prov. 14:29slow to anger; 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21Therefore #Col. 3:8 put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with #ch. 3:13 meekness the implanted word, #1 Cor. 15:2; Eph. 1:13which is able to save your souls.
22But be #Rom. 2:13; [ch. 2:14-20; Matt. 7:21, 24-27; Luke 8:21; John 13:17]doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, #ch. 2:12; [Gal. 2:4; 5:1, 13; 1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19]; See John 8:32 the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, #Ps. 1:1, 2; Luke 11:28he will be blessed in his doing.
26If anyone thinks he is religious #ch. 3:2, 3; Ps. 39:1; [ch. 3:6; Ps. 34:13; 141:3] and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s #Acts 26:5religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: #Matt. 25:36 to visit #Job 31:17, 18; Isa. 1:17, 23 orphans and widows in their affliction, and #1 Tim. 5:22; 1 John 5:18 to keep oneself #2 Pet. 3:14unstained from the world.
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