The General Epistle 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 brethren, count it all joy when ye fall
into divers temptations; 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience.
1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that
ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth 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 withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and
the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man
fade away in his ways.
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation:
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the
Lord hath 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 tempteth
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 hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh 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 firstfruits of his creatures.
1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man
be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 1:20 For the wrath of
man worketh not the righteousness of God.
1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted
word, which is able to save your souls.
1:22 But be ye 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 beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of
liberty, and continueth therein, 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 bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth 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 brethren, 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 goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor
man in vile raiment; 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the
gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and
say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of
evil thoughts? 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen
the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which
he hath promised to them that love him? 2:6 But ye have despised the
poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment
seats? 2:7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are
called? 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 2:9 But if ye
have respect to persons, ye 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 thou commit no adultery, yet if thou
kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be
judged by the law of liberty.
2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy,
that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a
man say he hath 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 ye warmed and
filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit? 2:17 Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone.
2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I
have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee
my faith by my works.
2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou
doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
2:20 But wilt thou 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 Seest
thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made
perfect? 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he
was called the Friend of God.
2:24 Ye see then how 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 brethren, 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, whithersoever the governor listeth.
3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and
boasteth great things.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue
among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth 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 hath 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 proceedeth blessing and
cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place
sweet water and bitter? 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, 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 shew out of a good conversation his works with
meekness of wisdom.
3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
3:15 This wisdom descendeth 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 intreated, 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
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot
obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,
that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not
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 ye think that the scripture saith in vain,
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 4:6 But he giveth
more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble.
4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye
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, brethren. He
that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh
evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou
art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? 4:13 Go to now, ye
that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and
continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 4:14 Whereas
ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is
even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth
away.
4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will,
we shall live, and do this, or that.
4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all
such rejoicing is evil.
4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin.
5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your
miseries that shall come upon you.
5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments
are motheaten.
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. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have
reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth:
and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of
the Lord of sabaoth.
5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and
been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he
doth not resist you.
5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the
coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious
fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive
the early and latter rain.
5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for
the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest
ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
5:10 Take, my brethren, 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. Ye
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 brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath:
but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye 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 ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much.
5:17 Elias 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
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Sources: King James Version of the Bible from Project
Gutenberg. |