| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. | 1This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! Faith and Endurance |
| 2Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, | 2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. |
| 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. | 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. |
| 4And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. | 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. |
| 5If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. | 5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. |
| 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. | 6But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. |
| 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; | 7Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. |
| 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. | 8Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. |
| 9Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, | 9Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. |
| 10and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. | 10And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. |
| 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. | 11The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. |
| 12Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. | 12God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. |
| 13Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. | 13And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. |
| 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. | 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. |
| 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. | 15These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. | 16So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. |
| 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 due to change. | 17Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. |
| 18Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | 18He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. Listening and Doing |
| 19Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; | 19Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. |
| 20for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. | 20Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. |
| 21Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. | 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. |
| 22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | 22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
| 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. | 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. |
| 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. | 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. |
| 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. | 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. |
| 26If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. | 26If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. |
| 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. | 27Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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