James:1-5
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James ,
a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ ,
to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad ,
greetings .
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My brethren ,
count it all joy when you encounter various trials ;
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Knowing that the trying of your faith produces endurance .
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And let endurance have its full effect ,
that you may be perfect and complete ,
lacking nothing .
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If any of you lack wisdom ,
let him ask of God ,
who gives to all men liberally ,
and without reproach ;
and it shall be given him .
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But let him ask in faith ,
without wavering .
For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed .
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Let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord ,
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For a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways .
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Let the brother of humble circumstances rejoice that he is exalted :
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And the rich ,
that he is made humble :
because like the flower of the grass he shall pass away .
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For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat ,
but it withers the grass ,
and its flower falls ,
and its beauty perishes .
In the same way shall the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits .
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Blessed is the man who endures trial :
for when he has stood the test ,
he shall receive the crown of life ,
which the Lord has promised to those who love him .
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Let no man say when he is tempted ,
I am tempted by God :
for God cannot be tempted with evil ,
nor does he tempt any man :
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But every man is tempted ,
when he is drawn away and enticed by his own lust .
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Then when lust has conceived ,
it brings forth sin :
and sin ,
when it is fully-grown ,
brings forth death .
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Do not be deceived ,
my beloved brethren .
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Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above ,
and comes down from the Father of lights ,
with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow .
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By his own will he brought us forth with the word of truth ,
that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures .
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Therefore ,
my beloved brethren ,
let every man be swift to hear ,
slow to speak ,
and slow to anger :
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For the anger of man does not promote the righteousness of God .
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Therefore ,
lay aside all filthiness and the wickedness that is so abundant ,
and receive with humility the implanted word ,
which is able to save your souls .
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But be doers of the word ,
and not hearers only ,
deceiving yourselves .
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For if anyone is a hearer of the word ,
and not a doer ,
he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror :
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For he beholds himself ,
and goes his way ,
and immediately forgets what manner of man he was .
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But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty ,
and perseveres in it ,
not being a forgetful hearer ,
but an active doer ,
this man shall be blessed in what he does .
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If any man among you thinks he is religious ,
but does not bridle his tongue ,
he deceives his own heart and his religion is in vain .
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This is pure and undefiled religion before God the Father :
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction ,
and to keep oneself unspotted by the world .
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My brethren ,
do not hold your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ,
the Lord of glory ,
with partiality .
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For if there comes into your assembly a man with a gold ring ,
in fine apparel ,
and there also comes in a poor man in shabby clothing ,
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And you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing ,
and say to him ,
Sit here in a good place ;
and say to the poor man ,
Stand there ,
or sit here beside my footstool :
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Have you not then discriminated among yourselves ,
and become judges with evil thoughts ?
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Listen ,
my beloved brethren ,
Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith ,
and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him ?
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But you have despised the poor .
Is it not the rich who oppress you ,
and drag you into court ?
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Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name by which you have been called ?
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If you fulfill the royal law ,
according to the scripture ,
You shall love your neighbour as yourself ,
you do well ,
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But if you show partiality ,
you commit sin ,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors .
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For whoever shall keep the whole law ,
and yet stumble at one point ,
is guilty of breaking it all .
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For he who said ,
Do not commit adultery ,
also said ,
Do not kill .
Now if you do not commit adultery ,
but you do kill ,
you have become a transgressor of the law .
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So speak ,
and so act ,
as those who shall be judged by the law of liberty .
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For he shall receive judgment without mercy ,
who has shown no mercy ;
mercy triumphs over judgment .
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What does it profit ,
my brethren ,
if a man say he has faith ,
but has not works ?
can that faith save him ?
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If a brother or sister is without clothing ,
and destitute of daily food ,
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And one of you says to him ,
Depart in peace ,
be warmed and filled ;
yet you do not give him the things which are necessary for the body ;
of what benefit is that ?
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Even so faith ,
if it does not have works ,
is dead ,
being alone .
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But a man may say ,
You have faith ,
and I have works :
show me your faith without your works ,
and I will show you my faith by my works .
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You believe that there is one God ;
you do well :
the devils believe also ,
and tremble .
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Do you want to be shown ,
O foolish man ,
that faith without works is dead ?
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Was not Abraham our father justified by works ,
when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar ?
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You see that faith was active with his works ,
and by works was faith made perfect ;
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And the scripture was fulfilled which says ,
Abraham believed God ,
and it was credited to him as righteousness :
and he was called the Friend of God .
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You see then that a man is justified by works ,
and not by faith only .
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And in the same way was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works ,
when she received the messengers ,
and had sent them out another way ?
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For as the body without the spirit is dead ,
so faith without works is dead .
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My brethren ,
let not many of you be teachers ,
knowing that as such we shall be judged more strictly .
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For we all stumble in many ways .
If any man does not stumble in his words ,
he is a perfect man ,
and able also to bridle his whole body .
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If we put bits in the mouths of horses ,
that they may obey us ;
we guide their whole bodies .
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Behold also the ships ,
which ,
though they are so great and are driven by such fierce winds ,
yet they are guided by a very small rudder ,
wherever the pilot directs .
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Even so ,
the tongue is a small part of the body ,
and it boasts of great things .
Behold how great a forest is kindled by a little fire !
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And the tongue is a fire ,
a world of iniquity among our members .
It defiles the whole body ,
and sets on fire the whole course of life ;
and is itself set on fire by hell .
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For all kinds of beasts ,
and birds ,
and serpents ,
and creatures of the sea ,
are tamed ,
and have been tamed ,
by mankind :
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But the tongue no man can tame ;
it is an unruly evil ,
full of deadly poison .
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With it we bless our Lord and Father ;
and with it we curse men ,
who are made in the likeness of God .
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Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing .
My brethren ,
these things ought not to be so .
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Does a fountain send forth from the same opening fresh and bitter water ?
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Can the fig tree ,
my brethren ,
bear olives ?
or a vine bear figs ?
Neither can a salt spring yield fresh water .
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Who is wise and understanding among you ?
by his good life let him show forth works done with the humility of wisdom .
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But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts ,
do not boast and lie against the truth .
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This wisdom does not descend from above ,
but is earthly ,
unspiritual ,
devilish .
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For where there is envy and selfish ambition ,
there is confusion and every evil work .
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But the wisdom that is from above is first pure ,
then peaceable ,
gentle ,
and open to reason ,
full of mercy and good fruits ,
without partiality ,
and without hypocrisy .
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And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace .
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What causes strife and quarrels among you ?
do they not come from your passions ,
which are at war in your members ?
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You covet ,
and do not have ,
so you kill ;
and envy ,
and cannot obtain ,
so you fight and quarrel .
You do not have because you do not ask .
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You ask ,
and do not receive ,
because you ask amiss ,
that you may spend it upon your pleasures .
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You adulteresses ,
do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God ?
whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God .
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Do you think that the scripture speaks in vain when it says ,
The spirit he made to dwell in us tends toward envious desires ?
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But he gives more grace .
Therefore it says ,
God resists the proud ,
but gives grace to the humble .
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Therefore ,
submit yourselves to God .
Resist the devil ,
and he will flee from you .
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Draw near to God ,
and he will draw near to you .
Cleanse your hands ,
you sinners ;
and purify your hearts ,
you double-minded .
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Be miserable ,
and mourn ,
and weep :
let your laughter be turned to mourning ,
and your joy to gloom .
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Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord ,
and he shall lift you up .
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Do not speak evil of one another ,
brethren .
He who speaks evil of his brother ,
and judges his brother ,
speaks evil of the law ,
and judges the law :
but if you judge the law ,
you are not a doer of the law ,
but a judge of it .
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There is one lawgiver ,
who is able to save and to destroy :
but who are you to judge your neighbour ?
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Come now ,
you who say ,
Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city ,
and remain there a year ,
and buy and sell ,
and make a profit .
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Yet you do not even know what shall happen tomorrow .
For what is your life ?
It is just a vapour ,
that appears for a little time ,
and then vanishes away .
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Instead you ought to say ,
If the Lord wills ,
we shall live ,
and do this ,
or that .
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But now you boast in your presumption :
all such boasting is evil .
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Therefore ,
for him who knows the good he ought to do ,
and does not do it ,
for him it is sin .
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Come now ,
you rich men ,
weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you .
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Your riches have rotted ,
and your garments are moth-eaten .
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Your gold and silver is corroded ;
and their rust shall be a witness against you ,
and shall eat your flesh as if it were fire .
You have heaped treasure together in the last days .
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Behold ,
the wages of the labourers who have reaped your fields ,
which you withheld ,
cry out against you :
and the cries of those who reaped have been heard by the ears of the Lord of hosts .
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You have lived in luxury on the earth ,
and in self-indulgence ;
you have fattened your hearts ,
as in a day of slaughter .
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You have condemned and killed the just man ;
and he does not resist you .
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Therefore be patient ,
brethren ,
until the coming of the Lord .
Behold ,
the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth ,
and is patient for it ,
until it receives the early and the late rains .
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You also be patient ;
establish your hearts :
for the coming of the Lord draws near .
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Do not grumble against one another ,
brethren ,
lest you be condemned :
behold ,
the judge stands before the door .
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My brethren ,
take the prophets ,
who have spoken in the name of the Lord ,
as an example of suffering ,
and of patience .
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Behold ,
we count as happy those who endured .
You have heard of the patience of Job ,
and have seen the outcome the Lord brought about ;
that the Lord is full of compassion ,
and of tender mercy .
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But above all things ,
my brethren ,
do not swear ,
either by heaven ,
or by the earth ,
or with any other oath :
but let your yes be yes ;
and your no ,
no ;
lest you fall into condemnation .
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Is anyone among you afflicted ?
let him pray .
Is anyone merry ?
let him sing praises .
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Is anyone among you sick ?
let him call for the elders of the church ;
and let them pray over him ,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord :
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And the prayer of faith shall save the sick ,
and the Lord shall raise him up ;
and if he has committed sins ,
they shall be forgiven him .
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Confess your sins to one another ,
and pray for one another ,
that you may be healed .
The fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective .
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Elijah was a man with a nature such as we have ,
and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain :
and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months .
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And he prayed again ,
and the heavens gave rain ,
and the earth brought forth its fruit .
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Brethren ,
if any of you strays from the truth ,
and someone brings him back ;
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Let him know ,
that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death ,
and shall cover a multitude of sins .
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Jude ,
the servant of Jesus Christ ,
and brother of James ,
to those who are called by God the Father ,
and kept for Jesus Christ :
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