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James 3-5
Darby Translation
James 3-5
Darby Translation
3 Be not many teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive greater judgment.
2 For we all often offend. If any one offend not in word, *he* [is] a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body too.
3 Behold, we put the bits in the mouths of the horses, that they may obey us, and we turn round their whole bodies.
4 Behold also the ships, which are so great, and driven by violent winds, are turned about by a very small rudder, wherever the pleasure of the helmsman will.
5 Thus also the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how little a fire, how large a wood it kindles!
6 and the tongue [is] fire, the world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set in our members, the defiler of the whole body, and which sets fire to the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell.
7 For every species both of beasts and of birds, both of creeping things and of sea animals, is tamed and has been tamed by the human species;
8 but the tongue can no one among men tame; [it is] an unsettled evil, full of death-bringing poison.
9 Therewith bless we the Lord and Father, and therewith curse we men made after [the] likeness of God.
10 Out of the same mouth goes forth blessing and cursing. It is not right, my brethren, that these things should be thus.
11 Does the fountain, out of the same opening, pour forth sweet and bitter?
12 Can, my brethren, a fig produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt [water] make sweet water.
13 Who [is] wise and understanding among you; let him shew out of a good conversation his works in meekness of wisdom;
14 but if ye have bitter emulation and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
15 This is not the wisdom which comes down from above, but earthly, natural, devilish.
16 For where emulation and strife [are], there [is] disorder and every evil thing.
17 But the wisdom from above first is pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, unquestioning, unfeigned.
18 But [the] fruit of righteousness in peace is sown for them that make peace.
4 Whence [come] wars and whence fightings among you? [Is it] not thence,—from your pleasures, which war in your members?
2 Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.
4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.
5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?
6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.
7 Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.
9 Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.
11 Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.
12 One is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art *thou* who judgest thy neighbour?
13 Go to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,
14 ye who do not know what will be on the morrow, ([for] what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing,)
15 instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.
16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
17 To him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.
5 Go to now, ye rich, weep, howling over your miseries that [are] coming upon [you].
2 Your wealth is become rotten, and your garments moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and silver is eaten away, and their canker shall be for a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have heaped up treasure in [the] last days.
4 Behold, the wages of your labourers, who have harvested your fields, wrongfully kept back by you, cry, and the cries of those that have reaped are entered into the ears of [the] Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived luxuriously on the earth and indulged yourselves; ye have nourished your hearts [as] in a day of slaughter;
6 ye have condemned, ye have killed the just; he does not resist you.
7 Have patience, therefore, brethren, till the coming of the Lord. Behold, the labourer awaits the precious fruit of the earth, having patience for it until it receive [the] early and [the] latter rain.
8 *Ye* also have patience: stablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawn nigh.
9 Complain not one against another, brethren, that ye be not judged. Behold, the judge stands before the door.
10 Take [as] an example, brethren, of suffering and having patience, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of [the] Lord.
11 Behold, we call them blessed who have endured. Ye have heard of the endurance of Job, and seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is full of tender compassion and pitiful.
12 But before all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath; but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay, that ye do not fall under judgment.
13 Does any one among you suffer evil? let him pray. Is any happy? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call to [him] the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of [the] Lord;
15 and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be one who has committed sins, it shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess therefore your offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. [The] fervent supplication of the righteous [man] has much power.
17 Elias was a man of like passions to us, and he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months;
18 and again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to spring forth.
19 My brethren, if any one among you err from the truth, and one bring him back,
20 let him know that he that brings back a sinner from [the] error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins.
James 3-5
New International Version
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:
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
- James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
- 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
- James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
- 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.
- James 5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting
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