James 1

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: greetings.

2Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,

3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

4And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about.

7For that man must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

9But let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,

10and the rich man in his humiliation, because like a flower of grass he will pass away.

11For the sun rose with its scorching heat and dried up the grass, and its flower fell off and the beauty of its appearance perished; so also the rich man will wither away in the midst of his pursuits.

12Blessed is the man who endures trial, because after he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which he promised to those who love him.

13Let no one who is being tempted say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God is untemptable by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

14But each one is tempted by his own desire, being drawn away and enticed.

15Then desire, after it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

18Having willed it, he gave birth to us by the word of truth, so that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20For a man's anger does not produce God's righteousness.

21Therefore, having put away all filthiness and the overflow of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one is like a man carefully looking at the face of his birth in a mirror,

24For he looked at himself and went away, and immediately forgot what kind of person he was.

25But the one who has looked intently into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it—not becoming a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work—this one will be blessed in his doing.

26If anyone thinks he is religious while not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.