James 1:12-4:9

English Standard Version

^12 (A)Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive ^(B)the crown of life, ^(C)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 ^(D)when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and ^(E)sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

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

Hearing and Doing the Word

^19 (M)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^(N)be quick to hear, ^(O)slow to speak, ^(P)slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^(Q)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(R)meekness the implanted word, ^(S)which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ^(T)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, ^(U)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^(V)he will be blessed in his doing.

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

The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers,^{[b] (AC)}show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(AD)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,” ^(AE)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 ^(AF)judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers, ^(AG)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be ^(AH)rich in faith and heirs of ^(AI)the kingdom, ^(AJ)which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you ^(AK)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who ^(AL)drag you ^(AM)into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable ^(AN)name by which you were called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(AO)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(AP)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 ^(AQ)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For he who said, ^(AR)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(AS)“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 ^(AT)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(AU)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 ^(AV)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (AW)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ^16 (AX)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^[c] 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 ^(AY)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(AZ)by my works. ^19 (BA)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(BB)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (BC)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(BD)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(BE)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(BF)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(BG)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 ^(BH)Rahab the prostitute justified by works ^(BI)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 ^(BJ)Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ² For ^(BK)we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, ^(BL)he is a perfect man, ^(BM)able also to bridle his whole body. ³ If we put ^(BN)bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member, yet ^(BO)it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(BP)the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, ^(BQ)staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,^[d] and set on fire by hell.^{[e] 7} For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, ^(BR)full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people ^(BS)who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,^[f] these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? ^(BT)By his good conduct let him show his works ^(BU)in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(BV)jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This is not ^(BW)the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, ^(BX)demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But ^(BY)the wisdom from above is first pure, then ^(BZ)peaceable, gentle, open to reason, ^(CA)full of mercy and good fruits, ^(CB)impartial and ^(CC)sincere. ¹⁸ And ^(CD)a harvest of righteousness ^(CE)is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Warning Against Worldliness

4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions^[g] are ^(CF)at war within you?^{[h] 2} You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask ^(CG)wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ^4 (CH)You adulterous people!^[i] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(CI)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit ^(CJ)that he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But ^(CK)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^(CL)“God opposes the proud but ^(CM)gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. ^(CN)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ^8 (CO)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. ^(CP)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and ^(CQ)purify your hearts, ^(CR)you double-minded. ^9 (CS)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.