JAMES TO THE TWELVE TRIBES
Chapter 1
1 James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Rejoice!
2 All joy deem it, my brethren, whenever you should be falling into various trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith is producing endurance.
4 Now let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and unimpaired, lacking in nothing.
5 Now if anyone of you is lacking wisdom, let him be requesting it from God, Who is giving to all generously and is not reproaching, and it shall be given to him.
6 Yet let him be requesting in faith, doubting nothing, for he who is doubting simulates a surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man be surmising that he shall be obtaining anything from the Lord --
8 a man double-souled, turbulent in all his ways.
9 Now let the humble brother be glorying in his exaltation,
10 yet the rich in his humiliation, for, as the flower of grass, shall he pass by.
11 For the sun rises, together with the scorching heat, and withers the grass, and its flower falls off, and the comeliness of its aspect perished. Thus the rich also in his goings shall be caused to fade.
12 Happy is the man who is enduring trial, for, becoming qualified, he will be obtaining the wreath of life, which He promises to those loving Him.
13 Let no one, undergoing trial, be saying that "From God am I undergoing trial," for God is not tried by evils, yet He is trying no one.
14 Now each one is undergoing trial when he is drawn away and lured by his own desire.
15 Thereafter, the desire, conceiving, is bringing forth sin. Now sin, fully consummated, is teeming forth death.
16 Be not deceived, my beloved brethren!
17 All good giving and every perfect gratuity is from above, descending from the Father of lights, in Whom there is no mutation or shadow from revolving motion.
18 By intention, He teems forth us by the word of truth, for us to be some firstfruit of His own creatures.
19 Now you are aware, my beloved brethren! Yet let every man be swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger,
20 for the anger of man is not working the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore, putting off all filthiness and superabundance of evil, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 Now become doers of the word, and not only listeners, beguiling yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a listener to the word and not a doer, this one simulates a man considering the face he inherited in a mirror;
24 for he considers himself and has come away, and immediately forgot what kind he was.
25 Now he who peers into the perfect law, that of freedom, and abides, not becoming a forgetful listener, but a doer of the work, this one will be happy in his doing.
26 If anyone is seeming to be a ritualist, not bridling his tongue, but seducing his heart, the ritual of this one is vain,
27 for ritual clean and undefiled with God the Father is this: to be visiting the bereaved and widowed in their affliction, to be keeping oneself unspotted from the world.
Chapter 2
1 My brethren, not with partialities be having the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.
2 For if there should be entering into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in splendid attire, yet there should be entering a poor man also, in filthy attire,
3 and you should be looking on the one wearing the splendid attire and be saying, "You sit ideally here," and to the poor one be saying, "You stand there," or, "Sit here under my footstool,"
4 were you not discriminating among yourselves, and did you not become judges with wicked reasonings?
5 Hear, my beloved brethren! Does not God choose the poor in the world, rich in faith and enjoyers of the allotment of the kingdom which He promises to those who are loving Him?
6 Yet you dishonor the poor one. Are not the rich tyrannizing over you? And they are drawing you to tribunals.
7 Are not they blaspheming the ideal name which is being invoked over you?
8 Howbeit, if you are discharging the royal law, according to the scripture, "You shall be loving your associate as yourself," you are doing ideally.
9 Yet if you are showing partiality, you are working sin, being exposed by the law as transgressors.
10 For anyone who should be keeping the whole law, yet should be tripping in one thing, has become liable for all.
11 For He Who is saying, You should not be committing adultery, said, You should not be murdering, also. Now if you are not committing adultery, yet are murdering, you have become a transgressor of law.
12 Thus be speaking and thus be doing, as those about to be judged by a law of freedom.
13 For the judging is merciless to him who does not exercise mercy. Vaunting is mercy against judging.
14 What is the benefit, my brethren, if anyone should be saying he has faith, yet may have no works? That faith can not save him.
15 If a brother or sister should be belonging to the naked, and lacking nourishment for the day,
16 yet someone from among you may be saying to them, "Go away in peace, be warmed and satisfied," yet you may not be giving them the requisites for the body, what is the benefit?
17 Thus, also, is faith, if it should not have works: it is dead by itself.
18 But someone will be declaring, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from the works and I shall be showing you my faith by my works.
19 You are believing that God is one. Ideally are you doing. The demons also are believing and are shuddering.
20 Now are you wanting to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is dead?
21 Abraham, our father, was he not justified by works when offering up his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You are observing that faith worked together with his works, and by works was faith perfected.
23 And fulfilled was the scripture which is saying, Now "Abraham believes God, and it is reckoned to him for righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God."
24 You see that by works a man is being justified, and not by faith only.
25 Now likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when entertaining the messengers and ejecting them by a different way?
26 For even as the body apart from spirit is dead, thus also faith apart from works is dead.
Chapter 3
1 Not many should become teachers, my brethren, being aware that we shall be getting greater judgment.
2 For we all are tripping much. If anyone is not tripping in word, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.
3 Now if we are thrusting the horses' bits into their mouths, so that they are yielding to us, we are steering their whole body also with it.
4 Lo! the ships also, being of such proportions, and driven by hard winds, are being steered by the least rudder, wherever the impulse of the helmsman is intending.
5 Thus the tongue, also, is a little member and is grandiloquent. Lo! What amount of fire is kindling what amount of material!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of injustice. The tongue is constituted among our members that which is spotting the whole body, and setting the wheel of our lineage aflame, and is set aflame by Gehenna.
7 For every nature, both of wild beasts and flying creatures, both of reptiles and those of the salt sea, is tamed and has been tamed by human nature.
8 Yet the tongue can no man tame -- a turbulent evil, distended with death-carrying venom.
9 With it we are blessing the Lord and Father, and with it we are cursing men who have come to be in accord with God's likeness.
10 Out of the same mouth is coming forth blessing and cursing. There is no need, my brethren, for this to become thus.
11 No spring out of the same hole is venting the sweet and the bitter.
12 No fig tree, my brethren, can produce olives, nor a grapevine figs. Thus neither does brine produce sweet water.
13 Who is wise and an adept among you? Let him show his works by an ideal behavior in meekness of wisdom.
14 Now if you are having bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, are you not vaunting against and falsifying the truth?
15 This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but terrestrial, soulish, demoniacal.
16 For wherever jealousy and faction are, there is turbulence also, and every bad practice.
17 Now the wisdom from above is first, indeed, pure, thereupon peaceable, lenient, compliant, bulging with mercy and good fruits, undiscriminating, unfeigned.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is being sown in peace for those making peace.
Chapter 4
1 Whence are the battles and whence the fightings among you? Are they not hence: from your gratifications warring in your members?
2 You are coveting and have not. You are murdering and are jealous, and you can not encounter it. You are fighting and battling, and you have not, because of not requesting.
3 You are requesting and not obtaining, because you are requesting evilly, that you should be spending it on your gratifications.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Are you not aware that the friendship of this world is enmity with God? Whosoever, then should intend to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God.
5 Or are you supposing that the scripture is saying this for naught? Is the spirit which dwells in us longing to envy?
6 Yet greater is the grace He is giving. Wherefore He is saying, God "the proud is resisting, yet to the humble He is giving grace."
7 You may be subject, then, to God, yet withstand the Adversary, and he will be fleeing from you.
8 Draw near to God, and He will be drawing near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, double-souled!
9 Be wretched and mourn and lament. Let your laughter be converted into mourning, and joy into dejection.
10 Be humbled, then, in the Lord's sight, and He shall be exalting you.
11 Do not be speaking against one another, brethren. He who is speaking against a brother, or judging his brother, is speaking against law and is judging law. Now if you are judging law, you are not a doer of law, but a judge.
12 One is Lawgiver and Judge, Who is able to save and to destroy. Now who are you who are judging an associate?
13 Come now, you who are saying, "Today or tomorrow we will be going into this or that city and should be spending a year there, and we will be trafficking and getting gain" --
14 who are not versed in that which is the morrow's, for what is your life? For a vapor are you, which is appearing briefly and thereupon disappearing--
15 instead of your saying, "If the Lord should ever be willing, and we shall be living, we also shall be doing this or that."
16 Yet now you are vaunting in your ostentations. All such boasting is wicked.
17 Then to one perceiving how to be doing the ideal and not doing it, to him it is sin.
Chapter 5
1 Come now, you rich, lament, howling for your wretchedness which is coming on you!
2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become food for moths.
3 Your gold and silver corrode and their venom will be for a testimony against you, and the venom will be eating your flesh as fire. You hoard in the last days.
4 Lo! the wage of the workers, who mow your country places, which has been withheld by you, is crying, and the imploring of the reapers has entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
5 You luxuriate on the earth, and squander. You nourish your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6 You convict, you murder the just; he is not resisting you.
7 Be patient, then, brethren, till the presence of the Lord. Lo! the farmer is waiting for the precious fruit of the land, being patient about it, till it should be getting the early and late showers.
8 You also, then, be patient; establish your hearts, for the presence of the Lord is near.
9 Be not groaning, brethren, against one another, lest you may be judged. Lo! the Judge stands before the doors.
10 Be taking, my brethren, the example of suffering evil and patience you have: the prophets who speak in the name of the Lord.
11 Lo! we are counting those happy who endure. You hear of the endurance of Job, and you perceived the consummation of the Lord, for very compassionate and pitiful is the Lord.
12 Now before all, my brethren, do not be swearing, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor any other oath. Now let your "yes" be "yes," and "no" be "no," lest you should be falling under judging.
13 Is anyone suffering evil among you? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him play music.
14 Is anyone infirm among you? Let him call to him the elders of the ecclesia, and let them pray over him, rubbing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the vow of faith will be saving the faltering and the Lord will be rousing him up, and, if he should have done sins, it will be forgiven him.
16 Then confess sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The operative petition of the just is availing much.
17 Elijah was a man of like emotions with us, and he prays in prayer for it not to rain, and it does not rain on the land three years and six months.
18 And again he prays, and heaven gives a shower and the earth germinates her fruit.
19 My brethren, if anyone among you should be led astray from the way of the truth, and someone should be turning him back,
20 let him know that he who turns back a sinner out of the deception of his way will be saving his soul from death and will be covering a multitude of sins.
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