James 1:1-3:3

English Standard Version

Greeting

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

To ^(C)the twelve tribes in ^(D)the Dispersion:

Greetings.

Testing of Your Faith

^2 (E)Count it all joy, my brothers,^[b] when you meet trials ^(F)of various kinds, ³ for you know that ^(G)the testing of your faith ^(H)produces steadfastness. ⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be ^(I)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

^5 (J)If any of you lacks wisdom, ^(K)let him ask God, ^(L)who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. ⁶ But ^(M)let him ask in faith, ^(N)with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like ^(O)a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ^8 (P)he is a double-minded man, ^(Q)unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ and ^(R)the rich in his humiliation, because ^(S)like a flower of the grass^[c] he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and ^(T)withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

^12 (U)Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive ^(V)the crown of life, ^(W)which God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire ^(X)when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and ^(Y)sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. ^17 (Z)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from ^(AA)the Father of lights, ^(AB)with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^{[d] 18 (AC)}Of his own will he ^(AD)brought us forth by the word of truth, ^(AE)that we should be a kind of ^(AF)firstfruits of his creatures.

Hearing and Doing the Word

^19 (AG)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^(AH)be quick to hear, ^(AI)slow to speak, ^(AJ)slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^(AK)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(AL)meekness the implanted word, ^(AM)which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ^(AN)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law, ^(AO)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^(AP)he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious ^(AQ)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's ^(AR)religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: ^(AS)to visit ^(AT)orphans and widows in their affliction, and ^(AU)to keep oneself ^(AV)unstained from the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers,^{[e] (AW)}show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AX)the Lord of glory. ² For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³ and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” ^(AY)while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ⁴ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become ^(AZ)judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers, ^(BA)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be ^(BB)rich in faith and heirs of ^(BC)the kingdom, ^(BD)which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you ^(BE)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who ^(BF)drag you ^(BG)into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable ^(BH)name by which you were called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(BI)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(BJ)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point ^(BK)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, ^(BL)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(BM)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under ^(BN)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(BO)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(BP)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (BQ)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ^16 (BR)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[f] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ^(BS)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(BT)by my works. ^19 (BU)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(BV)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (BW)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(BX)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(BY)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(BZ)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(CA)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also ^(CB)Rahab the prostitute justified by works ^(CC)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Taming the Tongue

3 ^(CD)Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ² For ^(CE)we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, ^(CF)he is a perfect man, ^(CG)able also to bridle his whole body. ³ If we put ^(CH)bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.