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James 3-5
American Standard Version

3 Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive [a]heavier judgment. 2 For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. 3 Now if we put the horses’ bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also. 4 Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth. 5 So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, [b]how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! 6 And the tongue is [c]a fire: [d]the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of [e]nature, and is set on fire by [f]hell. 7 For every [g]kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed [h]by [i]mankind: 8 but the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God: 10 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter? 12 can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, [j]sensual, [k]devilish. 16 For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without [l]variance, without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace [m]for them that make peace.

4 Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and [n]covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. 4 Ye [o]adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. 5 Or think ye that the scripture [p]speaketh in vain? [q]Doth the spirit which [r]he made to dwell in us long unto envying? 6 But he giveth [s]more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, [t]God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

11 Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?

13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: 14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 [u]For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. 16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. 17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

5 Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony [v]against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous one; he doth not resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the [w]coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until [x]it receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors. 10 Take, brethren, for an example of suffering and of patience, the prophets who spake in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the [y]patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful.

12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but [z]let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment.

13 Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise. 14 Is any among you sick? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, [aa]anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working. 17 Elijah was a man of like [ab]passions with us, and he prayed [ac]fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again; and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

19 My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 [ad]let him know, that he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

  1. James 3:1 Greek greater.
  2. James 3:5 Or, how great a forest
  3. James 3:6 Or, a fire, that world of iniquity: the tongue is among our members that which etc.
  4. James 3:6 Or, that world of iniquity, the tongue, is among our members that which etc.
  5. James 3:6 Or, birth
  6. James 3:6 Greek Gehenna.
  7. James 3:7 Greek nature.
  8. James 3:7 Or, unto
  9. James 3:7 Greek the human nature.
  10. James 3:15 Or, natural. Or, animal;
  11. James 3:15 Greek demoniacal.
  12. James 3:17 Or, doubtfulness. Or, partiality
  13. James 3:18 Or, by
  14. James 4:2 Greek are jealous.
  15. James 4:4 That is, who break your marriage vow to God.
  16. James 4:5 Or, saith in vain,
  17. James 4:5 Or, The Spirit which he made to dwell in us he yearneth for even unto jealous envy. Compare Jer. 3:14; Hos. 2:19f. Or, That Spirit which he made to dwell in us yearneth for us even unto jealous envy.
  18. James 4:5 Some ancient authorities read dwelleth in us.
  19. James 4:6 Greek a greater grace.
  20. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34.
  21. James 4:15 Greek Instead of your saying.
  22. James 5:3 Or, unto
  23. James 5:7 Greek presence.
  24. James 5:7 Or, he
  25. James 5:11 Or, endurance
  26. James 5:12 Or, let yours be the yea, yea, and the nay, nay. Compare Mt. 5:37.
  27. James 5:14 Or, having anointed
  28. James 5:17 Or, nature
  29. James 5:17 Greek with prayer.
  30. James 5:20 Some ancient authorities read know ye.
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James 3-5
New International Version

Taming the Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers,(A) my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged(B) more strictly.(C) 2 We all stumble(D) in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say(E) is perfect,(F) able to keep their whole body in check.(G)

3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.(H) 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.(I) Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire,(J) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,(K) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.(L)

7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.(M)

9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.(N) 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?(O) Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it(P) by their good life, by deeds(Q) done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition(R) in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.(S) 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven(T) but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.(U) 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition,(V) there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven(W) is first of all pure; then peace-loving,(X) considerate, submissive, full of mercy(Y) and good fruit, impartial and sincere.(Z) 18 Peacemakers(AA) who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.(AB)

Submit Yourselves to God

4 What causes fights and quarrels(AC) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle(AD) within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill.(AE) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive,(AF) because you ask with wrong motives,(AG) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterous(AH) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(AI) means enmity against God?(AJ) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(AK) 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(AL) 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[c](AM)

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(AN) and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.(AO) Wash your hands,(AP) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(AQ) you double-minded.(AR) 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(AS) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(AT)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(AU) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them(AV) speaks against the law(AW) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(AX) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(AY) the one who is able to save and destroy.(AZ) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(BA)

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen,(BB) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(BC) 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.(BD) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(BE) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(BF) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(BG)

Warning to Rich Oppressors

5 Now listen,(BH) you rich people,(BI) weep and wail(BJ) because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.(BK) 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.(BL) 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers(BM) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries(BN) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.(BO) 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves(BP) in the day of slaughter.[e](BQ) 6 You have condemned and murdered(BR) the innocent one,(BS) who was not opposing you.

Patience in Suffering

7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.(BT) See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting(BU) for the autumn and spring rains.(BV) 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming(BW) is near.(BX) 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,(BY) or you will be judged. The Judge(BZ) is standing at the door!(CA)

10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets(CB) who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed(CC) those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance(CD) and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.(CE) The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.(CF)

12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.(CG)

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.(CH) Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.(CI) 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders(CJ) of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil(CK) in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith(CL) will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins(CM) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.(CN) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.(CO)

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.(CP) He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.(CQ) 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.(CR)

19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth(CS) and someone should bring that person back,(CT) 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save(CU) them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.(CV)

Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
  3. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
  4. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.
  5. James 5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting
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