- James, a servant of God and of the Lord
Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
- Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever
you face trials of many kinds,
- because you know that the testing of your
faith develops perseverance.
- Perseverance must finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given
to him.
- But when he asks, he must believe and not
doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed
by the wind.
- That man should not think he will receive
anything from the Lord;
- he is a double-minded man, unstable in
all he does.
- The brother in humble circumstances ought
to take pride in his high position.
- But the one who is rich should take pride
in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.
- For the sun rises with scorching heat and
withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the
same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.
- Blessed is the man who perseveres under
trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of
life that God has promised to those who love him.
- When tempted, no one should say, "God
is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt
anyone;
- but each one is tempted when, by his own
evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
- Then, after desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
- Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
- Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows.
- He chose to give us birth through the word
of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
- My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone
should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,
- for man's anger does not bring about the
righteous life that God desires.
- Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and
the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,
which can save you.
- Do not merely listen to the word, and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
- Anyone who listens to the word but does
not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror
- and, after looking at himself, goes away
and immediately forgets what he looks like.
- But the man who looks intently into the
perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting
what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.
- If anyone considers himself religious and
yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his
religion is worthless.
- Religion that God our Father accepts as
pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
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