JAMES
1
Testing Your Faith
1 1AJames, a
Bbond-servant of God and
Cof the Lord Jesus Christ,
To
Dthe twelve tribes who are
2Edispersed abroad:
FGreetings.
2 AConsider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter
Bvarious
1trials,
3 knowing that
Athe testing of your
Bfaith produces
1Cendurance.
4 And let
1Aendurance have
its perfect
2result, so that you may be
3Bperfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you
Alacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and
1without reproach, and
Bit will be given to him.
6 But he must
Aask in faith
Bwithout any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea,
Cdriven and tossed by the wind.
7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
8 being a
1Adouble-minded man,
Bunstable in all his ways.
9 ABut the
1brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position;
10 and the rich man
is to glory in his humiliation, because
Alike
1flowering grass he will pass away.
11 For the sun rises with
1Aa scorching wind and
Bwithers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 ABlessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has
1been approved, he will receive
Bthe crown of life which
the Lord Chas promised to those who
Dlove Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “
AI am being tempted
1by God”; for God cannot be tempted
2by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then
Awhen lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when
Bsin
1is accomplished, it brings forth death.
16 ADo not be
1deceived,
Bmy beloved brethren.
17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is
Afrom above, coming down from
Bthe Father of lights,
Cwith whom there is no variation or
1shifting shadow.
18 In the exercise of
AHis will He
Bbrought us forth by
Cthe word of truth, so that we would be
1a kind of
Dfirst fruits
2among His creatures.
19 1This Ayou know,
Bmy beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear,
Cslow to speak
and Dslow to anger;
20 for
Athe anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore,
Aputting aside all filthiness and
all 1that remains of wickedness, in
2humility receive
Bthe word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
22 ABut prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his
1natural face
Ain a mirror;
24 for
once he has looked at himself and gone away,
1he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law,
Athe
law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but
1an effectual doer, this man will be
Bblessed in
2what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not
1Abridle his tongue but deceives his
own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion
Ain the sight of
our God and Father is this: to
Bvisit
Corphans and widows in their distress,
and to keep oneself unstained
1by
Dthe world.