James 1–2

Greeting

1James, ^aa slave of God ^band of the Lord Jesus Christ:

To the 12 tribes ^cin the Dispersion. ^de

Greetings. ^f

Trials and Maturity

²Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, ^g3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

⁵Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. ^h6But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸An indecisive ⁱman is unstable in all his ways. ^j

⁹The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. ^k11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will wither away while pursuing his activities. ^l

¹²A man who endures trials ^mis blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown ⁿof life that God ^ohas promised to those who love Him. ^p

¹³No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, ^qand He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. ^r15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. ^s

¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. ^t17Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. ^u18By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth ^vso that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures. ^w

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, ^x20for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, ^yhumbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. ^za

²²But ^bbe doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face ^cin a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works—this person will be blessed in what he does. ^d

²⁶If anyone ^ethinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, ^fthen his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before our ^gGod and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows ^hin their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ⁱ

The Sin of Favoritism

2My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ^j2For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. ³If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” ⁴haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Listen, my dear brothers: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world ^kto be rich in faith ^land heirs ^mof the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? ⁶Yet you dishonored that poor man. ⁿDon’t the rich oppress you and drag ^oyou into the courts? ⁷Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism? ^p

⁸Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, ^qryou are doing well. ⁹But if you show favoritism, ^syou commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. ^t11For He who said, Do not commit adultery, ^ualso said, Do not murder. ^vwSo if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

¹²Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. ^x13For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy. ^yMercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith ^zsave him?

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? ^a17In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” ^bShow me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. ^cd19You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. ^e

²⁰Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. ^f23So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, ^ghand he was called God’s friend. ⁱ²⁴You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? ^j26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.