1James, a slave of God and of Sovereign Jesus Christ, ⁰to the twelve tribes ¹that are in the Dispersion: ²Greetings.

2Count it all joy, ³my brothers, whenever you fall into various trials,

3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance;

4but let that endurance have a complete work, ⁴so that you may be perfect and complete, falling short in nothing.

About wisdom

5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from the giving God, ⁵who gives to all liberally and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.

6However, let him ask in faith, with no doubting, because he who doubts is like a sea wave driven and tossed by the wind—

7such a man should not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8being a double-minded man, ⁶unstable in all his ways.

9Now the lowly brother should glory in his high position, ⁷

10but the rich brother in his humiliation, ⁸because he will pass away like a flower of wild grass. ⁹

11For the sun rises with its burning heat and withers the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes. Just so the rich man will be withered in his undertakings. ¹⁰

About testings

12A man who endures testing is blessed, because upon becoming approved ¹¹he will receive the crown of the life that the Lord ¹²has promised to those loving Him. ¹³

13Let no one, upon being tempted, ¹⁴say, “I am being tempted by God,” because God is untemptable by evil, so He Himself does not tempt anyone.

14But each one is tempted by his own craving, being taken in tow and enticed.

15Then the craving, upon conceiving, gives birth to sin, and the sin, upon completion, delivers death.

16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers:

17every good giving and every perfect gift is from Above, ¹⁵coming down from the Father of the lights, ¹⁶with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

18Having willed it, He brought us forth by a word of truth, ¹⁷so that we might be a sort of firstfruits of His products. ¹⁸

19So then, ¹⁹my beloved brothers, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

20because a man's anger does not achieve God's righteousness. ²⁰

About obeying the Word

21Therefore, laying aside all filthiness and overflow of evil, ²¹receive with meekness the implanted Word which is able to save your souls. ²²

22Further, become word doers and not just hearers, deceiving yourselves.

23Because if anyone is a law ²³hearer and not a doer, the same is like a man observing his physical face in a mirror;

24for he observes himself, then goes away and promptly forgets what he is like.

25But he who looks carefully into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, ²⁴he—not being a forgetful hearer but a work doer—he will be blessed in what he does. ²⁵

26If anyone among you thinks he is religious, not bridling his tongue but deceiving his heart, his religion is useless. ²⁶

27Pure and undefiled religion before God and Father ²⁷is this: to care for orphans and widows in their adversity; ²⁸to keep oneself unspotted from the world. ²⁹