James 5:1–12

Misuse of Riches

^1aCome now, ^byou rich, ^cweep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

^2aYour riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

³Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is ^ain the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

⁴Behold, ^athe pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and ^bthe outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of ^cthe Lord of ¹Sabaoth.

⁵You have ^alived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have ¹fattened your hearts in ^ba day of slaughter.

⁶You have condemned and ^1aput to death ^bthe righteous man; he does not resist you.

Exhortation

⁷Therefore be patient, ^abrethren, ^buntil the coming of the Lord. ^cThe farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until ¹it gets ^dthe early and late rains.

^8aYou too be patient; ^bstrengthen your hearts, for ^cthe coming of the Lord is ^dnear.

^9aDo not ¹complain, ^bbrethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, ^cthe Judge is standing ^2dright at the ³door.

¹⁰As an example, ^abrethren, of suffering and patience, take ^bthe prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

¹¹We count those ^ablessed who endured. You have heard of ^bthe ¹endurance of Job and have seen ^cthe ²outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that ^dthe Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹²But above all, ^amy brethren, ^bdo not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but ¹your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.