^5:16So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.¹⁷^5:17Elijah was a human being¹⁸ like us, and he prayed earnestly¹⁹ that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! ^5:18Then²⁰ he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest.

^5:19My brothers and sisters,²¹ if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, ^5:20he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path²² will save that person’s²³ soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

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James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Footnotes

17 Or “the fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful”; Grk “is very powerful in its working.”
18 Although it is certainly true that Elijah was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) has been translated as “human being” because the emphasis in context is not on Elijah’s masculine gender, but on the common humanity he shared with the author and the readers.
19 Grk “he prayed with prayer” (using a Hebrew idiom to show intensity).
20 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events.
21 Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in .
22 Grk “from the error of his way” (using the same root as the verb “to wander, to err” in the first part of the verse).
23 Grk “his soul”; the referent (the sinner mentioned at the beginning of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.

My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back, let that person know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

NLTNew Living Translation

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. Elijah was a human being with the same nature as us, and he prayed fervently for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

My brothers, if anyone among you should wander away from the truth and someone turns him back, he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that person’s soul from death, and will cover over a great number of sins.

KJV 1900King James Version

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

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