James
Chapter 1
1 James, a servant of God and Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes spread out, hello.
2 My friends, consider it a joy when you face many kinds of trials.
3 Understand that testing your faith develops patience.
4 Let patience finish its work so that you may be complete and whole, lacking nothing.
5 If anyone needs wisdom, ask God, who gives freely to all without criticizing, and it will be given to you.
6 Ask with strong belief, without doubting. Because someone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, blown and thrown by the wind.
7 Let that person not expect to receive anything from God.
8 A person with two minds is unsteady in everything they do.
9 Let the humble brother be happy because he is lifted up.
10 The rich person becomes humble, for like a flower in the grass they will fade away.
11 As soon as the sun rises with its hot heat, it dries up the grass, the flowers fall, and their beauty disappears: in the same way, the rich person will wilt in their life’s path.
12 Happy is the person who keeps going through hard times because when he passes the test, he will get the reward of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
13 No one should say when they are tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” because God cannot be tempted by evil, and he does not tempt anyone.
14 A person is tempted when they are pulled by their own desires and trapped.
15 When desire becomes strong, it leads to sin, and sin, when it’s fully grown, results in death.
16 Don’t make a mistake, my dear friends.
17 Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the God of light, who never changes or casts shifting shadows.
18 God, by His own choice, gave us new life through the true message, so we might be the first and best of all He created.
19 My dear friends, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to talk, and slow to get angry.
20 Human anger does not produce the goodness that God wants.
21 Set aside all dirtiness and excess badness, and with humility accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.
22 Do what the message says, not just listen to it, or you will be fooling yourselves.
23 If someone listens to God’s word but doesn’t put it into practice, they are like a person who looks at their face in a mirror.
24 He looks at himself, then leaves, and quickly forgets what kind of person he was.
25 Whoever looks into the perfect law that gives freedom and keeps doing it, not forgetting what they heard but doing the work, will be blessed in what they do.
26 If someone appears to be religious but doesn’t control their speech and fools themselves, their religion is worthless.
27 True and perfect religion in God’s sight is this: to help orphans and widows when they are in need, and to keep oneself free from the world’s corruption.