From James [^Cone of Jesus’ brothers and a leader in the early church; Gal. 1:19; Acts 12:17; 15:13–21; 21:17], a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To ·all of God’s people [^Lthe twelve tribes; ^Can allusion to the twelve tribes of Israel; referring either to Jewish Christians or all believers as the new covenant people of God] ·who are scattered everywhere in the world [^Lin the Diaspora/Dispersion; ^Ca reference to the scattering of the Jews during the Babylonian captivity, now applied to the church]: Greetings.

Faith and Wisdom

My brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], when you have many kinds of ·troubles [trials; testing], ·you should be full of joy [^Lconsider it all/pure joy],

because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you ·patience [perserverance; endurance].

[^LAnd] Let your ·patience [perserverance; endurance] ·show itself perfectly in what you do [have its full effect; finish its work]. Then you will be ·perfect and complete [mature and whole; or completely mature] and will ·have everything you need [^Llack nothing].

But if any of you ·needs [lacks] wisdom, you should ask God for it [Prov. 2:6]. He is generous to everyone and will give you wisdom ·without criticizing you [without finding fault; ungrudgingly; Matt. 7:7].

But when you ask God, you must ·believe [ask with faith] and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave in the sea, ·blown up and down [driven and tossed] by the wind.

[^LFor] Such doubters are ·thinking two different things at the same time [^Ldouble-minded], and they ·cannot decide about anything they do [^Lare unstable in all they do]. They should not ·think [expect] they will receive anything from the Lord.

[^LBut] Those who are ·rich [wealthy] should ·take pride [boast] ·that God has shown them that they are spiritually poor [in their humiliation; in their lowly state; Jer. 9:23–24]. [^LBecause] The rich will ·die [pass away; wither] like a ·wild flower in the grass [or flower in the field].

[^LFor] The sun rises with ·burning [scorching] heat and ·dries up [withers] the ·plants [or grass]. The flower falls off, and its beauty is ·gone [destroyed]. In the same way the rich will ·die [^Lwither away] ·while they are still taking care of business [in the midst of their pursuits; ^Lin his journeys; Ps. 49:16–17; 103:15–16; Is. 40:6–8].

Temptation Is Not from God

·When people are tempted and still continue strong, they should be happy [^LBlessed is the one who perserveres/endures trials/temptations]. After they have ·proved their faith [stood/endured/passed the test], ·God will reward them with life forever [^Lthey will receive the crown of life; ^Calludes to the laurel crown given for a victory]. ·God [^LHe] promised this to all those who love him.

God ·decided [chose; willed] to give us ·life [birth] through the ·word of truth [true message] so we might be ·the most important [or the first of many; ^La kind of firstfruits; ^Cfirstfruits were the first crops to be harvested and guaranteed the coming harvest; Ex. 34:22; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rev. 14:4] of all ·the things he made [or his creatures].

So ·put out of your life [get rid of; lay aside] every ·evil thing [moral filth/defilement] and every ·kind of wrong [excessive evil]. Then in ·gentleness [humility] ·accept [welcome] God’s ·teaching [word] that is planted in your hearts, which can save ·you [^Lyour souls; ^Creferring to the whole person].

·Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves [^LBe doers of the word, and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves; Luke 11:28; Rom. 2:13].

Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and ·without fault [undefiled] is this: caring for orphans and widows [2:1–13, 15–16; Ex. 22:22; Deut. 14:29] ·who need help [^Lin their trouble/distress/persecution], and keeping yourself ·free from the world’s evil influence [^Lunstained/unpolluted by the world; 4:4–10].

Love All People

My dear brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers], as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never ·think some people are more important than others [show favoritism/partiality; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 10:17–18].

Suppose someone comes into your ·church meeting [gathering; assembly; ^Cthe word can mean “synagogue,” but here refers to a house church gathering] wearing nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing ·old, dirty [shabby; filthy] clothes.

·What are you doing? You are making some people more important than others [^LAre you not discriminating among yourselves…?], and ·with evil thoughts you are deciding that one person is better [or you are judging with evil thoughts; or you are acting like judges with evil motives].

Listen, my ·dear [^Lbeloved] brothers and sisters [^Cfellow believers]! ·God chose [^LDid not God choose…?] the poor in the world [1 Cor. 1:26–29] to be rich with faith and to ·receive [^Lbe heirs of] the kingdom God promised to those who love him [Luke 6:20].

But you ·show no respect to [dishonor; have insulted] the poor. ·The rich are always trying to control your lives. They are the ones who take you to court [^LDon’t the rich exploit/oppress you and drag you into court?].

This royal law [^Cbecause God the king decreed it, or because it is the supreme law] is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37–40].” ·If you [or If you really; or If you, however,] ·obey [fulfill; carry out] this law, you are doing ·right [well].

[^LFor] A person who ·follows [keeps; obeys] all of God’s law but ·fails to obey even one command [^Lstumbles/falls in one point] is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law.

[^LFor] The same God who said, “You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery [Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18],” also said, “You must not murder anyone [Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17].” So if you do not ·take part in [commit] adultery but you murder someone, ·you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law [^Lyou have become a breaker/transgressor of the law; Matt. 5:18–19; Gal. 5:3].

·So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you [^LFor judgment is without mercy to the one who does not act mercifully]. ·But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment [^LBut mercy triumphs over judgment].

If you say to that person, “·God be with you [or I wish you well; ^LGo in peace]! ·I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat, [^TBe warmed and filled]” but you do not ·give what that person needs [provide for the needs of their body], ·your words are worth nothing [^Lwhat good/profit/gain is that?].

[^LBut] Someone might say, “You have faith, but I have ·deeds [works].” ·Show me [Prove; Demonstrate] your faith without ·doing anything [^Lworks], and I will ·show you [prove; demonstrate] my faith by ·what I do [my works].