James 1:19–27 LEB - Understand this, my dear…

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James 1:19–27

Doers of the Message, Not Just Hearers

19 Understand this, my dear brothers: every person must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for humane anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all moral uncleanness and wicked excess, welcomef with humility the implanted message which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the message and not hearers only,g deceiving yourselves, 23 because if anyone is a hearer of the message and not a doer, this one is like someoneh staring at ⌊his own face⌋i in a mirror, 24 for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts, this one will be blessed ⌊in what he does⌋j.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious, although he* does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our* God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

e	Literally “man’s”
f	Or “receive”
g	Some manuscripts have “not only hearers”
h	Literally “a man,” but clearly in a generic sense here meaning “someone, a person”
i	Literally “the face of his existence”
j	Literally “in his doing”
*	Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“bridle”) which is understood as concessive
*	Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun