James 5 - 1 Peter 1

New King James Version

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

5 Come now, you ^(A)rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your ^(B)riches ^[a]are corrupted, and ^(C)your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^(D)You have heaped up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Indeed ^(E)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and ^(F)the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of ^[b]Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and ^[c]luxury; you have ^[d]fattened your hearts ^[e]as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^[f]is at hand.

⁹ Do not ^[g]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be ^[h]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ^10 (G)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and ^(H)patience. ¹¹ Indeed ^(I)we count them blessed who ^(J)endure. You have heard of ^(K)the perseverance of Job and seen ^(L)the end intended by the Lord—that ^(M)the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brethren, ^(N)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into ^[i]judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs^(O)

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him ^(P)pray. Is anyone cheerful? ^(Q)Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(R)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. ^(S)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ^16 [j]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(T)The effective, ^[k]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man ^(U)with a nature like ours, and ^(V)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed ^(W)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone ^(X)turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way ^(Y)will save ^[l]a soul from death and ^(Z)cover a multitude of sins.

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the ^[m]pilgrims ^(AA)of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ^2 (AB)elect ^(AC)according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, ^(AD)in sanctification of the Spirit, for ^(AE)obedience and ^(AF)sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

^(AG)Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Heavenly Inheritance

^3 (AH)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ^(AI)according to His abundant mercy ^(AJ)has begotten us again to a living hope ^(AK)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance ^[n]incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, ^(AL)reserved in heaven for you, ^5 (AM)who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

^6 (AN)In this you greatly rejoice, though now ^(AO)for a little while, if need be, ^(AP)you have been ^[o]grieved by various trials, ⁷ that ^(AQ)the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though ^(AR)it is tested by fire, ^(AS)may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ^8 (AT)whom having not ^[p]seen you love. ^(AU)Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching what, or what manner of time, ^(AV)the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. ¹² To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to ^[q]us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which ^(AW)angels desire to look into.

Living Before God Our Father

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not ^(AX)conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ^15 (AY)but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, ^(AZ)“Be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who ^(BA)without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your ^[r]stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with ^[s]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but ^(BB)with the precious blood of Christ, ^(BC)as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ^20 (BD)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was ^[t]manifest ^(BE)in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, ^(BF)who raised Him from the dead and ^(BG)gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The Enduring Word

²² Since you ^(BH)have purified your souls in obeying the truth ^[u]through the Spirit in ^[v]sincere ^(BI)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ^23 (BJ)having been born again, not of ^[w]corruptible seed but ^[x]incorruptible, ^(BK)through the word of God which lives and abides ^[y]forever, ²⁴ because

^(BN)Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.