James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials.

Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind.

a man is instigated, and drawn into the snare by his own vicious passions, which once indulg'd, are productive of sin,

all we are given is good, and all our endowments are faultless, descending from above, from the Father of the heavenly lights, who knows no change of rising and setting, who casts no shadow on the earth.

It was God's purpose to bring us into being [spiritually] by the message of truth, so that we could become a kind of "firstfruits" of those He created. [Note: "Firstfruits" here suggests either that Christians are the best of all of God's creatures (Num. 18:12), or that they were the first to be converted, with many more to come].

When a man appears to be religious, yet does not bridle his tongue, but imposes upon his own conscience, that man's religious observances are valueless.

The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.

My brethren, you must not make distinctions between one man and another while you are striving to maintain faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our glory.

For if a man comes into your meeting place wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in,

And you are deferential to the man who is wearing grand clothes, and say--"There is a good seat for you here," but to the poor man--"You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool,"

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?

But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts?

Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

However, if you carry out the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.

So speak ye, and so do, as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty.

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?

Some one, indeed, may say--"You are a man of faith, and I am a man of action." "Then show me your faith," I reply, "apart from any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions."

You believe that God is one, and you are quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and shudder."

But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless?

Many of you, my brothers, should avoid becoming teachers, because you know that we teachers are going to be judged with stricter judgment than other people.

For, oft, are we stumbling, one and all: If anyone, in word, doth not stumble, the same, is a mature man, able to curb even the whole body.

you see how manageable horses are made by the application of a bit, which makes them take what motion we please.

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.

so the tongue is but a small part of the body, yet how grand are its pretensions. a spark of fire! what quantities of timber will it blow into a flame?

For all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and ocean creatures are being subdued and have been subdued by mankind,

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

In a fountain, are fresh water and bitter sent forth from the same opening?

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

But if you are cherishing bitter jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on that ??and be false to the truth.

For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.

[People who are] peacemakers sow [seeds of] peace and it produces a crop of righteousness [in the lives of others].

Whence are wars and fightings among you? not thence -- out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?

Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.

You continue to ask and do not receive, because you are asking with a wrong purpose, in order to spend it upon your pleasures.

You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”

Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].

Believers, do not speak against or slander one another. He who speaks [self-righteously] against a brother or judges his brother [hypocritically], speaks against the Law and judges the Law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge of it.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy [the one God who has the absolute power of life and death]; but who are you to [hypocritically or self-righteously] pass judgment on your neighbor?

Go, now, ye who are saying, 'To-day and to-morrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;'

whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

But the right thing to say would be, If it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this and that.

Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: - All boasting like this, is, wicked,

Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

Your gold and your silver are rusted; and their rust shall be for a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. Ye have laid up your treasure in the last days.

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.

Do not murmur against one another, brothers, lest you are judged; look, the Judge is standing at the very door!

lo, we call happy those who are enduring; the endurance of Job ye heard of, and the end of the Lord ye have seen, that very compassionate is the Lord, and pitying.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

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.