James

1   Yaakov, a slave of God, and of the lord Yeshua the Anointed.

    To the twelve tribes among the dispersiona.

    Rejoice.

    Assume it to be all kinds of joy my brothers, whenever you= fall into various trials, perceiving that the discernment of your= faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance have its perfect work, so that you= might be perfect and completed, not lacking in anything.

    And if any of you= lacks wisdom, let them request it from God, from the one who gives generously to all, and who doesn’t reproach — and it’ll be given to them. And let them request it in faith, without doubting anything, for the one who doubts resembles a wave of the sea, which is driven and tossed by the wind. For don’t let that person suppose that they’ll receive anything from the lord. A double mindedb man is unsettled in all his ways.

    And let the brother who’s humble boast in his height, and the rich person in his humiliation, because he’ll pass away like a flower of the grass. For the sun rises up, together with a scorching heat, and dries the grass, and its flower falls, and the attractiveness of its appearance is destroyed. In the same way the rich person will also be made to fade away in his comings and goings.

    The man who endures a trial is blessed, because when he’s been approved he’ll receive the crownc of life, which the lord promises to those who love him. Don’t let anyone who’s being tested say, “I’m being tested by God”, for God is untried by evil things, and himself doesn’t test anybody. But each one is being tested by their own desire, being drawn away and enticed. After that the desire, when it’s conceived, gives birth to sin. And the sin, when it’s been fully completed, breeds death.

    Don’t be led astray my beloved brothers. All good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the lights, in whom there’s no variation or shade caused by turning. By intention he breeds us by the message of truth, so that we’re a kind of firstfruit of his creatures.

    So then my beloved brothers, let every person be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. For the wrath of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, having put off all kinds of filthiness, and the overabundance of evil, accept with meekness the message implanted among you=, which is able to save your= souls.

    And become doers of the message, and not only listeners, beguiling yourselves. Because if anyone is a listener of the message but not a doer, they resemble a man who considers his naturale appearance in a mirror — for he considers himself, and goes away, and straightaway he forgets what he was like. But the one who peers into the perfect law, the one of freedom, and continues to do this, not becoming a forgetful listener but a doer of work, this one will be blessed in his doing.

    If anyone among you= fancies himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, the religion of this person is futile. Pure and undefiled religion with God the father is this, to visit the orphaned and widows in their duress, to keep oneself spotless from the world.

a) the dispersion was the name given to the Jews who were spread among the nations. It is also sometimes called the diaspora (after the Greek)

b) “double minded” is literally “double souled”

c) “crown” and “wreath” are the same word in Greek

d) try in the sense of put on trial or testing

e) literally this word means “lineage”

2   My brothers. Don’t have the faith of our lord Yeshua the Anointed of glory with partiality. For if a gold ringed man in a splendid garment enters into your= synagogue, and also a poor one in a filthy garment. And you= give attention to the one who wears the splendid garment, and you= might say to him, “Sit comfortablya here.” and to the poor one you= might say, “You- stand up there.” or “Sit here under my footstool.” Haven’t you= discriminated among yourselves, and become judges with wicked thinking?

    Listen my beloved brothers. Didn’t God select the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? But you= dishonour the poor. Don’t the rich oppress you=? And isn’t it them who drag you= into court? Don’t they speak evil of the goodb name which you= call on? If indeed you’re= fulfilling the royal law according to the writing, “You’ll- love your- neighbour as you- do yourself”, then you’re= doing well. But if you= show partiality, then you’re= working sin and are exposed by the law as transgressors.

    For anyone who keeps the whole law, but who trips up in one thing, has become liable for all of it. For the one who said, “You- won’t commit adultery” also said, “You- won’t murder.” And if you- don’t commit adultery, but you- do murder, you’ve- become a transgressor of the law. Speak and act in the same way — as if about to be judged through the law of freedom. For there is unmerciful judgement for the one who doesn’t have mercy. Mercy is exulted over judgement.

    What’s the benefit my brothers, if someone says they have faith, but they don’t have works. The faith isn’t able to save them, is it? But if a brother or a sister is naked, (and they might be lacking daily food), and one of you= might say to them, “Go off in peace. Be warmed and satisfied.” but you= don’t give them the necessities of the body — what’s the benefit? In the same way also, faith by itself, if it doesn’t have works, is dead.

    But someone will say, “You- have faith, but I have works.” Show me your- faith by your- works, and I’ll show you- my faith by my works. You- trust that God is one. You- do well. The demons also trust that, and they shudder.

    But do you- want to perceive, empty person, that faith without works is dead? Wasn’t Abraham our father declared righteous by works, when he’d offered up Yitshak his son on the altar? Do you- see that faith acted together with his works? And faith was perfected by the works. And the writing was fulfilled which says, “But Abraham trusted God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.” And he was called a friend of God. You= see now that a person is declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone.

    And likewise, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also declared righteous by works, since she’d welcomed the messengers, and sent them out a different way? For just as the body apart from a spirit is dead, in the same way also faith apart from works is dead.

a) “comfortably” is literally “well”

b) good in terms of quality, not morality

3   Not many of you= should become teachers my brothers, knowing that we’ll receive a greater condemnation. For we all trip up in many ways. If anyone doesn’t trip up in what they say, this is a perfect man, also able to bridle the whole body.

    Look! We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and we lead their whole body. Look! Boats too. Even being so large, and driven by strong winds, they’re guided by the smallest rudder, wherever the impulse of the one who steers intends.

    In the same way also the tongue is a little body part and boasts greatly. Look! A small fire lights such a big forest. And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. In this way the tongue is installed among our body parts, staining the whole body, and setting the wheel of lineagea on fire, and is being set on fire itself by Gehennab.

    For all kinds of both wild beasts and birds, both reptiles and sea-creatures are tamed, and have been tamed, by human kind. But nobody among people is able to tame the tongue. It’s an unruly evil, filled full of deadly poison. With it we bless God the father, with it we curse people, those who have come to be in accordance with the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. There’s no need my brothers, for these things to occur in this way.

    Does the spring, out of the same hole, send forth both sweet and bitter? My brothers a fig tree isn’t able to make olives is it? Or a grapevine, figs? In the same way, no spring makes both salty and sweet water.

    Who’s wise and knowledgeable among you=? Let them show their works in meekness of wisdom by their goodc lifestyle. But if you= have bitter rivalry and self interest in your= heart, don’t boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom isn’t coming down from above, but earthly, soulish, demonic. For where there’s rivalry and self interest, there’s instability and every low matter. But indeed the wisdom from above is first pure, and then peaceful, fair, obedient, filled full of mercy, and of good fruits, undoubting, and genuine. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

a) “lineage” is the Greek word “genesis”

b) Gehenna is the Hebrew name for hell

c) good in terms of quality, not morality

4   Where do battles and fighting among you= come from? Aren’t they from your= pleasures, warring in your= body parts? You= desire but you= don’t have. You= murder, and you’re= jealous, and you= aren’t able to attain. You= fight and you= battle. You= don’t have, because you= don’t request. You= request but you= don’t receive, because you= request evilly, so that you= may spend it on your= pleasures.

    Adulterers and adulteresses. Don’t you= know that fondness of the world is enmity with God? So whoever intends to be a friend of the world is appointed as an enemy of God. Or do you= assume that the writing says for no reason, “The spirit which dwells among us yearns with envy.”

    But he gives greater grace. That’s why it says, “God resists the arrogant but gives grace to the humble.” So be subject to God. Stand opposed to Diabolosa and he’ll flee from you=. Draw near to God and he’ll draw near to you=. Cleanse your= hands sinners, and purify your= hearts double mindedb. Suffer hardship, and mourn, and weep. Let your= laughter be turned into mourning, and joy into dejection. Be humbled in the sight of the lord, and he’ll exalt you=.

    Don’t speak against one another brothers. The one who speaks against a brother, and the one who judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. And if you- judge the law you- aren’t a doer of the law, but a judge. There’s one lawgiver, who’s able to save and to destroy. But you-, who are you-, you- who judge the other?

    Come now those who say, “Today and tomorrow we should go into such and such a city, and we should spend one year there, and do business, and make a profit.” You= who aren’t aware of what your= life will be tomorrow. For it’ll be a vapour which appears for a little while but after that disappears. Instead you= ought to say, “If the lordc [Yahweh] is willing, and we should live, then we should also do this or that.” But now you= boast in your= pretentiousness. All such boasting is wicked. So to the one who has perceived to do goodd, but who doesn’t do it, to them it’s sin.

a) Diabolos means “slanderer”

b) “double minded” is literally “double souled”

c) Jews used “Lord” in place of “Yahweh” to avoid any possibility of breaking the third commandment.

d) good in terms of quality, not morality

5   Come now you= rich ones, weep, howling over the miseries which are coming upon you=. Your= riches have become rotten, and your= clothes have become moth eaten, your= gold and silver have been corroded, and their corrosiona will be a testimony to you=, and it’ll eat your= flesh like fire. You’ve= stored treasure in the last days.

    Look! The reward of the workers, those who harvest your= farms, the one who has been deprived by you= is crying out, and the outcries of the reapers have entered the ears of the lordb [Yahweh] Sabaothc. You’ve= lived luxuriously on the earth, and lived for pleasure. You’ve= fattened your= hearts, like in a day of slaughter. You’ve= convicted. You’ve= murdered the righteous one who didn’t resist you=.

    So be patient brothers, until the arrival of the lord. Look! The farmer is picking the precious fruit of the land, being patient over it until it might receive rain, early and late. You= be patient too, and stand your= hearts firm, because the arrival of the lord has come near.

    Don’t groan about one another brothers, so you= won’t be judged. Look! The judge has stood in front of the door. Take an example my brothers from the suffering and the patience of the prophets who spoke in the name of the lordb [Yahweh]. Look! We declare those who endure to be blessed. You’ve= heard of the perseverance of Iyyov, and you’ve= seen the end of the lord, that he was very compassionate and merciful.

    And above all my brothers, don’t swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath. But let your= “Yes” be yes, and your= “No”, no, so that you= shouldn’t fall into hypocrisy.

    Is anyone among you= suffering? Let them pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let them play music. Is anyone among you= ill? Let them call the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointingd him with oil in the name of the lord. And the prayer of faith will heale the one who’s weary, and the lord will raise him up. And if he’s ever committed sins, it’ll be pardoned to him.

    Confess transgressions to one another, and pray over one another so that you= may be healed. The petition of a righteous one being enacted prevails greatly. Eliyah was a person with similar feelings to us. And he prayed a prayer that it wouldn’t rain. And it didn’t rain on the land for three years and six months. And again he prayed, and the sky gave rain, and the land sprouted its fruit.

    Brothers, if anyone among you= might have been led astray from the truth, and someone should turn him around, let him perceive that the one who turns around a sinner from going astray from his way, will save a soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.

a) “corrosion” here is translated “poison” elsewhere

b) Jews used “Lord” in place of “Yahweh” to avoid any possibility of breaking the third commandment.

c) “sabaoth” is a Hebrew word which means “hosts” or “armies”

d) anointed in Greek has the idea of rubbing the oil not pouring the oil

e) heal and save are the same word in Greek