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James 1
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are scattered
abroad, greetings.
2My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different temptations; 3Knowing this, that
the trying of your faith works patience. 4But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may
be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who
gives to all men liberally and does not upbraid; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in
faith, nothing wavering. For he who wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed. 7For do not let that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double
minded man is unstable in all his ways. 9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is
exalted: 10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass
away. 11For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass and its flower
falls and the grace of its fashion perishes: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12Blessed is the man who endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with
evil, neither does he tempt any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his
own lust and enticed. 15Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished, brings forth death. 16Do not err, my beloved brothers. 17Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18He became the father of us by his own will with the
word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
19Therefore, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to
wrath: 20For the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God. 21Therefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive the engrafted word with meekness, which
is able to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves. 23For if any is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like to a man beholding his
natural face in a glass: 24For he beholds himself and goes his way and immediately forgets
what manner of man he was. 25But who ever looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues
in it, he not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his
deed. 26If any man among you seems to be religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives
his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.
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Chapter 2
1My brothers, do not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect
of persons. 2For if there comes to your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel and
there comes in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And you have respect to him who wears the gay
clothing and say to him, Sit here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand there, or sit here
under my footstool: 4Are you not then partial in yourselves and are become judges of evil
thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers, Has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith,
and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have despised
the poor. Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats? 7Do they not
blaspheme that worthy name by the which you are called?
8If you fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself, you do well: 9But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of
the law as transgressors. 10For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he
is guilty of all. 11For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now if you do
not commit adultery, yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so
do, as those who shall be judged by the law of liberty. 13For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that has shown no mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment.
14What does it profit, my brothers, though a man say he has faith and has no works? can
faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16And one of you says
to them, depart in peace, be warmed and filled; but you do not give them those things which are
needful to the body; what does it profit? 17Even so faith, if it does not have works, is dead, being
alone. 18Yes, a man may say, You have faith and I have works: show me your faith without your
works and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that there is one God; you do
well: the devils also believe and tremble. 20But will you know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his
son on the altar? 22Do you see how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made
perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God and it was
imputed to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24You see then how that
by works a man is justified and not by faith only. 25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot
justified by works, when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way?
26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
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Chapter 3
1My brothers, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2For in many things we offend all. If any man does not offend in word, the same is a perfect man,
and able also to bridle the whole body. 3Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may
obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4Behold also the ships, which though they are so
great and are driven of fierce winds, yet they are turned about with a very small helm, where
ever the governor wishes 5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. Behold,
how great a matter a little fire kindles! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the
tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature;
and it is set on fire of hell. 7For every kind of beast and of birds and of serpents and of things
in the sea, is tamed and has been tamed of mankind: 8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an
unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless God, even the Father; and with it we curse
men, who are made after the similitude of God. 10Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and
cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11Does a fountain send forth at the same
place sweet water and bitter? 12Can the fig tree, my brothers, bear olive berries? or a vine, figs?
so no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.
13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good
conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, do not glory and lie not against the truth. 15This wisdom does not descend from
above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and
easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of those who make peace.
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Chapter 4
1From where do wars and fightings come among you? Do they not come from here, even of
your lusts that war in your members? 2You lust and do not have: you kill and desire to have,
and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet you do not have , because you do not ask. 3You ask,
and do not receive, because you ask amiss, so that you may consume it on your lusts. 4You
adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with
God? who ever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do you think that
the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy? 6But he gives more grace.
Therefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 7Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and he will
draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.
9Be afflicted and mourn and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to
heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.
11Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. He who speaks evil of his brother and judges
his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law: but if you judge the law, you are not a
doer of the law, but a judge. 12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are
you who judges another? 13Go on now, you that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a
city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain: 14When you do not know what
shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time,
and then vanishes away. 15For you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this, or
that. 16But now you rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him who
knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.
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Chapter 5
1Go on now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come on you. 2Your
riches are corrupted and your garments are moth eaten. 3Your gold and silver is tarnished; and
their tarnish shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as if it were fire. You have
heaped treasure together for the last days. 4Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped
down your fields, which is kept back by you by fraud, cries: and the cries of those who have
reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5You have lived in pleasure on the earth,
and been wanton; you have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6You have
condemned and killed the just; and he does not resist you. 7Be patient therefore, brothers, to the
coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth and has
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8Be also patient; establish your
hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws near. 9Do not grudge against one another, brothers, lest
you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door. 10Take, my brothers, the prophets,
who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction and of patience.
11Behold, we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job and have
seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.
12But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by
any other oath: but let your yes be yes; and your no, no; lest you fall into condemnation. 13Is any
among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14Is any sick among you?
let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord: 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him
up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16Confess your faults to one
another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much. 17Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain: and it did not rain on the earth by the space of three years and six
months. 18And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19Brothers, if any of you errs from the truth and one converts him; 20Let him know, that he who
converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a
multitude of sins.
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