A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord--

Do not be deceived, my dearly-loved brethren.

For a man's anger does not lead to action which God regards as righteous.

But prove yourselves obedient to the Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.

For if any one listens but does not obey, he is like a man who carefully looks at his own face in a mirror.

But he who looks closely into the perfect Law--the Law of freedom--and continues looking, he, being not a hearer who forgets, but an obedient doer, will as the result of his obedience be blessed.

If a man thinks that he is scrupulously religious, although he is not curbing his tongue but is deceiving himself, his religious service is worthless.

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.

is it not plain that in your hearts you have little faith, seeing that you have become judges full of wrong thoughts?

Listen, my dearly-loved brethren. Has not God chosen those whom the world regards as poor to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom which He has promised to those that love Him?

But *you* have put dishonour upon the poor man. Yet is it not the rich who grind you down? Are not they the very people who drag you into the Law courts? --

For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder," and if you are a murderer, although not an adulterer, you have become an offender against the Law.

What good is it, my brethren, if a man professes to have faith, and yet his actions do not correspond? Can such faith save him?

and one of you says to them, "I wish you well; keep yourselves warm and well fed," and yet you do not give them what they need; what is the use of that?

Was it, or was it not, because of his actions that he was declared to be righteous as the result of his having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar?

You all see that it is because of actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not simply because of faith.

In the same way also was not the notorious sinner Rahab declared to be righteous because of her actions when she welcomed the spies and hurriedly helped them to escape another way?

Do not be eager, my brethren, for many among you to become teachers; for you know that we teachers shall undergo severer judgement.

Out of the same mouth there proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be.

But if in your hearts you have bitter feelings of envy and rivalry, do not speak boastfully and falsely, in defiance of the truth.

That is not the wisdom which comes down from above: it belongs to earth, to the unspiritual nature, and to evil spirits.

The wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceful, courteous, not self-willed, full of compassion and kind actions, free from favouritism and from all insincerity.

What causes wars and contentions among you? Is it not the cravings which are ever at war within you for various pleasures?

You covet things and yet cannot get them; you commit murder; you have passionate desires and yet cannot gain your end; you begin to fight and make war. You have not, because you do not pray;

or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.

You unfaithful women, do you not know that friendship with the world means enmity to God? Therefore whoever is bent on being friendly with the world makes himself an enemy to God.

Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. The man who speaks evil of a brother-man or judges his brother-man speaks evil of the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.

when, all the while, you do not even know what will happen to-morrow. For what is the nature of your life? Why, it is but a mist, which appears for a short time and then is seen no more.

If, however, a man knows what it is right to do and yet does not do it, he commits a sin.

Do not cry out in condemnation of one another, brethren, lest you come under judgement. I tell you that the Judge is standing at the door.

But above all things, my brethren, do not swear, either by Heaven or by the earth, or with any other oath. Let your 'yes' be simply 'yes,' and your 'no' be simply 'no;' that you may not come under condemnation.