Reckon it nothing but joy, my brethren, whenever you find yourselves hedged in by various trials.

Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position [as a born-again believer, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God];

and the rich man is to glory in being humbled [by trials revealing human frailty, knowing true riches are found in the grace of God], for like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

For the sun sprang up with heat, and dried up the grass, and its flower fell out, and the decorum of its face was destroyed: so also shall the rich be dried up in his goings.

Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.

wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls;

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep oneself unstained by the world.

My fellow believers, do not practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality [toward people—show no favoritism, no prejudice, no snobbery].

and you pay special attention to the one who wears the fine clothes, and say to him, “You sit here in this good seat,” and you tell the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down [on the floor] by my footstool,”

have you not wavered and shown that your judgments are guided by base motives?

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 put the poor man to shame. Are not the men of wealth rulers over you? do they not take you by force before their judges?

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

If you really fulfil the royal law laid down by scripture, You must love your neighbour as yourself, well and good;

but if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

For he who said, Do not be untrue in married life, is the same who said, Put no man to death. Now if you are not untrue in married life, but you put a man to death, the law is broken.

So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

for judgment will be without mercy to him that has shewn no mercy. Mercy glories over judgment.

What profit, my brethren, - if one should be saying he hath, faith, but hath not, works; can his faith save him?

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

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?

So also faith, if it have not works, is dead by itself.

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

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

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

And that in this way the words of Scripture came true-- "Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness," and "He was called the friend of God."

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

For in many things we all stumble. If any stumble not in word, this a perfect man, able to govern by a bridle also the whole body.

Now if we put bits of iron into horses' mouths so that they may be guided by us, we have complete control of their bodies.

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 also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!

And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind.

But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison.

By this we bless God, even the Father. And by this we curse men, who have come into being according to the image of God.

Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

does a fountain throw up salt water and fresh, by the same conveyance?

Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth.

This "wisdom" is not the kind that comes from [God] above, but is earthly, unspiritual and demonic [i.e., it is motivated by an evil spirit and not the Holy Spirit].

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

And the seed whose fruit is righteousness (spiritual maturity) is sown in peace by those who make peace [by actively encouraging goodwill between individuals].

What is the cause of the fighting and quarreling that goes on among you? Is not it to be found in the desires which are always at war within you?

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?

Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

be made low before the Lord, and He shall exalt you.

Be not speaking one against another, brethren! He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against law, and judgeth law; Now, if, upon law, thou art passing judgment, thou art not a doer of law, but a judge!

There is only one judge and law-giver, even he who has the power of salvation and of destruction; but who are you to be your neighbour's judge?

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, 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.

To him, therefore, who knoweth how to be doing, a right thing, and is not doing it, it is, sin, unto him.

Come, you rich men, weep aloud and howl for your sorrows which will soon be upon you.

Your riches are rotten, your clothes have been eaten by moths,

Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for 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.

You have condemned, you have murdered, the Righteous One! Must not God be opposed to you?

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Brothers, take the [Old Testament] prophets, who spoke in the name [i.e., by the authority] of the Lord, as your examples of suffering and patience.

We consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard about Job's endurance and have seen the purpose of the Lord that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

If any of you be evil vexed, let him pray. If any of you be merry, let him sing Psalms.

Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he should call for the elders of the church and they should pray for him, after pouring [olive] oil on him in the name [i.e., by the authority] of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

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.

then be pray'd again: the heavens sent its showers, and the earth push'd out its fruit.

My brethren! If one among you be led to err from the truth, and one turn him back,

let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].