The Letter Of James
1:1 James, a servant of God and of the
Lord Jesus Christ, to the
twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,
greeting.
1:2 My brothers, count it all joy when
you fall into different
temptations;
1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of
your faith works patience.
1:4 But let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing.
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him
ask of God, that gives to all
men liberally, and upbraids not; and
it shall be given him.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavers is
like a wave of the sea driven with the
wind and tossed.
1:7 For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the
Lord.
1:8 A double minded man is unstable in
all his ways.
1:9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice
in that he is exalted: 1:10
But the rich, in that he is made low:
because as the flower of the
grass he shall pass away.
1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with
a burning heat, but it
withers the grass, and the flower of
it falls, and the grace of the
fashion of it perishes: so also shall
the rich man fade away in his
ways.
1:12 Blessed is the man that endures
temptation: for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life, which
the Lord has promised to
them that love him.
1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted,
I am tempted of God: for God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempts he any man:
1:14 But every man is tempted, when he
is drawn away of his own lust,
and enticed.
1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it
brings forth sin: and sin, when
it is finished, brings forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and comes
down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
1:18 Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his
creatures.
1:19 Therefore, my beloved brothers,
let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath:
1:20 For the wrath of man works not the
righteousness of God.
1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness
and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is
able to save your souls.
1:22 But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your
own selves.
1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like
unto a man beholding his natural face
in a glass:
1:24 For he beholds himself, and goes
his way, and immediately forgets
what manner of man he was.
1:25 But whoever looks into the perfect
law of liberty, and continues
in it, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this
man shall be blessed in his deed.
1:26 If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridles not his
tongue, but deceives his own heart, this
man's religion is vain.
1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world.
2:1 My brothers, have not the faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord
of glory, with respect of persons.
2:2 For if there come unto your assembly
a man with a gold ring, in
good apparel, and there come in also
a poor man in vile clothing;
2:3 And you have respect to him that
wears the gay clothing, and say
unto him, Sit you here in a good place;
and say to the poor, Stand you
there, or sit here under my footstool:
2:4 Are you not then partial in yourselves,
and have become judges of
evil thoughts?
2:5 Hearken, my beloved brothers, Has
not God chosen the poor of this
world rich in faith, and heirs of the
kingdom which he has promised to
them that love him?
2:6 But you have looked down upon the
poor. Do not rich men oppres
you, and draw you before the judgment
seats?
2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy
name by the which you are
called?
2:8 If you fulfill the royal law according
to the scripture, You shall
love your neighbor as yourself, you do
well:
2:9 But if you have respect to persons,
you commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors.
2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all.
2:11 For he that said, Do not commit
adultery, said also, Do not kill.
Now if you commit no adultery, yet if
you kill, you have become a
transgressor of the law.
2:12 So speak you, and so do, as they
that shall be judged by the law
of liberty.
2:13 For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that has showed no
mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment.
2:14 What does it profit, my brothers,
though a man say he has faith,
and have not works? can faith save him?
2:15 If a brother or sister be naked,
and destitute of daily food,
2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart
in peace, be warmed and
filled; notwithstanding you give them
not those things which are
necessary to the body; what does it profit?
2:17 Even so faith, if it has not works,
is dead, being alone.
2:18 Yes, a man may say, You have faith,
and I have works: show me
your faith without your works, and I
will show you my faith by my
works.
2:19 You believe that there is one God;
you are doing well: the devils
also believe, and tremble.
2:20 But will you know, O vain man, that
faith without works is dead?
2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified
by works, when he had
offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
2:22 See you how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was faith
made perfect?
2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled
which says, Abraham believed God,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:
and he was called the
Friend of God.
2:24 You see then that by works a man
is justified, and not by faith
only.
2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the
harlot justified by works, when
she had received the messengers, and
had sent them out another way?
2:26 For as the body without the spirit
is dead, so faith without
works is dead also.
3:1 My brothers, be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive
the greater condemnation.
3:2 For in many things we offend all.
If any man offend not in word,
the same is a perfect man, and able also
to bridle the whole body.
3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses'
mouths, that they may obey us;
and we turn about their whole body.
3:4 Behold also the ships, which though
they be so great, and are
driven of fierce winds, yet are they
turned about with a very small
helm, wherever the governor desires.
3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member,
and boasts great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire
kindles!
3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world
of iniquity: so is the tongue
among our members, that it defiles the
whole body, and sets on fire
the course of nature; and it is set on
fire of hell.
3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of
birds, and of serpents, and of
things in the sea, is tamed, and has
been tamed of mankind:
3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it
is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison.
3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the
Father; and therewith curse we
men, which are made after the similitude
of God.
3:10 Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing
and cursing. My brothers,
these things ought not so to be.
3:11 Does a fountain send forth at the
same place sweet water and
bitter?
3:12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, bear
olive berries? either a vine,
figs? so can no fountain both yield salt
water and fresh.
3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with
knowledge among you? let him
show out of a good conduct his works
with meekness of wisdom.
3:14 But if you have bitter envying and
strife in your hearts, glory
not, and lie not against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom descends not from above,
but is earthly, sensual,
devilish.
3:16 For where envying and strife is,
there is confusion and every
evil work.
3:17 But the wisdom that is from above
is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and easy to be entreated, full
of mercy and good fruits,
without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace of them that make
peace.
4:1 From whence come wars and fightings
among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in
your members?
4:2 You lust, and have not: you kill,
and desire to have, and cannot
obtain: you fight and war, yet you have
not, because you ask not.
4:3 You ask, and receive not, because
you ask amiss, that you may
consume it upon your lusts.
4:4 You adulterers and adulteresses,
do you not know that the
friendship of the world is enmity with
God? whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God.
4:5 Do you think that the scripture says
in vain, The spirit that
dwells in us lusts to envy?
4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore
he says, God resists the proud,
but gives grace unto the humble.
4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you.
4:8 Draw close to God, and he will draw
close to you. Cleanse your
hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,
you double minded.
4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to
mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord, and he shall lift you
up.
4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brothers.
He that speaks evil of
his brother, and judges his brother,
speaks evil of the law, and
judges the law: but if you judge the
law, you are not a doer of the
law, but a judge.
4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able
to save and to destroy: who
are you that judges another?
4:13 Go to now, you that say, Today or
tomorrow we will go into such a
city, and continue there a year, and
buy and sell, and get gain:
4:14 Whereas you know not what shall
be on the next day. For what is
your life? It is even a vapor, that appears
for a little time, and
then vanishes away.
4:15 For that you ought to say, If the
Lord will, we shall live, and
do this, or that.
4:16 But now you rejoice in your boastings:
all such rejoicing is
evil.
4:17 Therefore to him that knows to do
good, and does it not, to him
it is sin.
5:1 Go to now, you rich men, weep and
howl for your miseries that
shall come upon you.
5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your
garments are moth eaten.
5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered;
and the rust of them shall be a
witness against you, and shall eat your
flesh as it were fire. You
have heaped treasure together for the
last days.
5:4 Behold, the hire of the laborers
who have reaped down your fields,
which is of you kept back by fraud, cries:
and the cries of those who
have reaped are entered into the ears
of the Lord of sabaoth.
5:5 You have lived in pleasure on the
earth, and been wanton; you have
nourished your hearts, as in a day of
slaughter.
5:6 You have condemned and killed the
just; and he does not resist
you.
5:7 Be patient therefore, brothers, unto
the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waits for the
precious fruit of the earth, and
has long patience for it, until he receive
the early and latter rain.
5:8 Be you also patient; establish your
hearts: for the coming of the
Lord draws close.
5:9 Grudge not one against another, brothers,
lest you be condemned:
behold, the judge stands before the door.
5:10 Take, my brothers, the prophets,
who have spoken in the name of
the Lord, for an example of suffering
affliction, and of patience.
5:11 Behold, we count them happy which
endure. You have heard of the
patience of Job, and have seen the end
of the Lord; that the Lord is
very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
5:12 But above all things, my brothers,
swear not, neither by heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any
other oath: but let your yes be
yes; and your no, no; lest you fall into
condemnation.
5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let
him pray. Is any merry? let him
sing psalms.
5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church;
and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the
Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save
the sick, and the Lord shall
raise him up; and if he have committed
sins, they shall be forgiven
him.
5:16 Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another,
that you may be healed. The fervent prayer
of a righteous man is
effective and has great strength.
5:17 Elijah was a man subject to like
passions as we are, and he
prayed earnestly that it might not rain:
and it rained not on the
earth by the space of three years and
six months.
5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven
gave rain, and the earth
brought forth her fruit.
5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from
the truth, and one convert
him;
5:20 Let him know, that he which converts
the sinner from the error of
his way shall save a soul from death,
and shall hide a multitude of
sins.