because you [should] know that when your faith is tested, it produces perseverance.

No one should say when he is tempted, "God is tempting me," because God cannot be tempted by evil and He does not tempt anyone.

Every good thing that is given and every perfect gift [received] is from above, coming down from the Father of [heavenly] lights, with whom there can be no change or shifting shadow [i.e., God always remains the same].

You people [already] know this [or, "you should know this"], my dearly loved brothers. However, every person should be quick to listen, slow to talk and slow in becoming angry.

Now if you people show special attention to the one wearing the fine clothing and say [to him], "You can sit here in this good seat," and to the poor person, "You stand over there," or "Sit on the floor by my feet,"

For God, who said [through Moses, Ex. 20:13f], "You must not be sexually unfaithful to your mate," also said, "You must not murder." Now if you are sexually faithful to your mate and yet murder [someone], you have become a lawbreaker.

For the person who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. [For] mercy wins out over condemnation.

Not many of you should be teachers, my brothers, because you [should] know that we [teachers] will be judged more strictly.

Now if we put bits in the mouths of horses so that they will obey us, we can govern the direction of their entire bodies as well.

but no one can subdue the tongue. It is an uncontrollable [source of] evil and full of deadly poison.

You people who have become unfaithful to God, do you not know that being [intimate] friends with the world [of sin] means hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever determines to be an [intimate] friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Or, do you think that the Scripture says [this] for nothing? [Note: No specific passage is here cited, but the idea occurs in several Old Testament passages]. "The Holy Spirit, whom God has made to live in us, longs jealously [for us to be faithful to God]."

Come on now, you people who are saying, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this [or that] city, spend a year there, do business and make some money."

[For actually] you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. What is your life? For you are [like] a mist that appears briefly and then vanishes.

Come on now, you rich people, cry and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you.

But above everything else, my brothers, do not take oaths, not "by the heaven," nor "by the earth," nor by any other oath. But your "yes" should be [simply] "yes," and your "no," [simply] "no," so you do not fall under condemnation.

that person should know that whoever brings a sinner back from the error of his way will save that soul from [spiritual] death and will cover over a large number of sins [i.e., the many sins of that person will become forgiven].