James 1

New American Standard Bible

The Testing of Your Faith

1 ^[a]^(A)James, a ^(B)bond-servant of God and ^(C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are ^[b]^(E)dispersed abroad: ^(F)Greetings.

²^(G)Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[c]trials, ³knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith produces ^[d]^(K)endurance. ⁴And let ^[e]^(L)endurance have its perfect ^[f]result, so that you may be ^[g]^(M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵But if any of you ^(N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[h]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶But he must ^(P)ask in faith ^(Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(R)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸being a ^(S)^[i]double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

⁹^(U)Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰but the rich person is to glory in his ^[j]humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[k]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹For the sun rises with ^(W)its scorching heat and ^(X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

¹²^(Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[l]been approved, he will receive ^(Z)the crown of life which the Lord ^(AA)has promised to those who ^(AB)love Him. ¹³No one is to say when he is tempted, “^(AC)I am being tempted ^[m]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[n]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵Then ^(AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and ^(AE)sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. ¹⁶^(AF)Do not be ^[o]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brothers and sisters. ¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^(AH)from above, coming down from ^(AI)the Father of lights, ^(AJ)with whom there is no variation or ^[p]shifting shadow. ¹⁸In the exercise of ^(AK)His will He ^(AL)gave us birth by ^(AM)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[q]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[r]among His creatures.

¹⁹^[s]^(AO)You know this, ^(AP)my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, ^(AQ)slow to speak, and ^(AR)slow to anger; ²⁰for a man’s ^(AS)anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore, ^(AT)ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all ^[t]that remains of wickedness, in ^[u]humility receive ^(AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²²^(AV)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[v]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[w]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[x]an active doer, this person will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[y]what he does.

²⁶If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not ^[z]^(AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[aa]by ^(BD)the world.