James 1

Greeting

¹James, ^a a servant of God ^b and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

To the twelve tribes ^c dispersed abroad. ^d,^e

Greetings. ^f

Trials and Maturity

²Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, ^{g 3}because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

⁵Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God #— #who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly #— #and it will be given to him. ^{h 6}But let him ask in faith without doubting. ⁱ For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, ⁸being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. ^j,^k

⁹Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. ^{l 11}For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities. ^m

¹²Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown ⁿ of life that God ^o has promised to those who love him. ^p

¹³No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. ^{q 15}Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. ^r

¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ^{s 17}Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ^{t 18}By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. ^u

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, ^{v 20}for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, ^w humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. ^x

²²But ^y be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face ^z in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. ²⁵But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works #— #this person will be blessed in what he does. ^aa

²⁶If anyone ^ab thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, ^ac his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows ^ad in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ^ae