James 1:1–2:26
1 James, aa bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:
Greetings.
2 My brethren, bcount it all joy cwhen you fall into various trials, 3 dknowing that the testing of your faith produces 1patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be 2perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 eIf any of you lacks wisdom, flet him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and git will be given to him. 6 hBut let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is ia double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
The Perspective of Rich and Poor
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because jas a flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
12 kBlessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive lthe crown of life mwhich the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, nwhen desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, obrings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 pEvery good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, qwith whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 rOf His own will He brought us forth by the sword of truth, tthat we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
19 3So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, uslow to speak, vslow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore wlay aside all filthiness and 4overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, xwhich is able to save your souls.
22 But ybe doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For zif anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But ahe who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, bthis one will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone 5among you thinks he is religious, and cdoes not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 dPure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: eto visit orphans and widows in their trouble, fand to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
2 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, athe Lord of glory, with bpartiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in 1fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in 2filthy clothes, 3 and you 3pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not 4shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: cHas God not chosen the poor of this world to be drich in faith and heirs of the kingdom ewhich He promised to those who love Him? 6 But fyou have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you gand drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are hcalled?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, i“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; 9 but if you 5show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as jtransgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet kstumble in one point, lhe is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, m“Do not commit adultery,” also said, n“Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by othe law of liberty. 13 For pjudgment is without mercy to the one who has shown qno rmercy. sMercy triumphs over judgment.
14 tWhat does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 uIf a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and vone of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” wShow me your faith without 6your works, xand I will show you my faith by 7my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is 8dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works ywhen he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see zthat faith was working together with his works, and by aworks faith was made 9perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, b“Abraham believed God, and it was 1accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called cthe friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, dwas not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.