James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends greetings to the twelve tribes that are scattered over the world.

You must consider it the purest joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials,

But you, in contrast, have humiliated the poor man. Are not the rich men those who oppress you and drag you to court?

Are not they the ones who scoff at the beautiful name you bear?

But if you really observe the law of the King in accordance with the Scripture, "You must love your neighbor as you do yourself," you are doing right;

but if you show partiality, you are committing sin, because you are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

For He who said, "You must not commit adultery," also said, "You must not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but you do commit murder, you are just the same a lawbreaker.

You must continue talking and acting like people who are to be judged by the law that treats them as free.

and one of you says to him, "Blessings on you, keep warm, eat until you have aplenty," without giving him the things that are needed for the body, what good does it do?

But, O senseless man, are you willing to learn that faith without good deeds is worthless?

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.

Look at ships, too; though great and driven by violent winds, they are steered with a tiny rudder wherever the pilot pleases.

With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in God's likeness.

Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him show by his noble living that his good deeds are done in humility, which wisdom prompts.

The harvest of uprightness is grown from the seed of peace by those who are peacemakers.

What causes wars and quarrels among you? Is it not your different desires which are ever at war within your bodies? You desire things and cannot have them, and so you commit murder.

Stop talking against one another, brothers. Whoever is in the habit of talking against a brother or of criticizing his brother is criticizing and condemning the law. But if you are in the habit of criticizing the law, you are not a practicer but a critic of the law.

There is but one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who has the power to save and to destroy; then who are you that you presume to judge your brother?

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to such and such a city and stay a year, go into business and make money,"

Come now, you rich people, weep aloud and howl over the miseries that are sure to overtake you.

Your wealth has rotted, your clothes are moth-eaten,

See, the wages that you have kept back from the laborers who reaped your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.