| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! | 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings. |
| 2My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, | 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, |
| 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. | 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. |
| 4And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. | 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. |
| 5But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. | 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. |
| 6But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. | 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. |
| 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, | 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. |
| 8since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. | 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. |
| 9Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. | 9The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. |
| 10But the rich person's pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. | 10But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. |
| 11For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. | 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. |
| 12Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. | 12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he 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 tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. | 13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. |
| 14But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. | 14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. |
| 15Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. | 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. |
| 16Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. | 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. |
| 17All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. | 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. |
| 18By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. | 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation. |
| 19Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. | 19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, |
| 20For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. | 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. |
| 21So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. | 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. |
| 22But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. | 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. |
| 23For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. | 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, |
| 24For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. | 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. |
| 25But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out--he will be blessed in what he does. | 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does. |
| 26If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. | 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. |
| 27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. | 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. |
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