James 1

¹ James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.

² Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into trials of every kind,

³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴ And let endurance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to everyone generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord;

⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Let the brother in humble circumstances boast in his high position,

¹⁰ and the rich one in his low position, because he will pass away like a wildflower.

¹¹ For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. In the same way the rich person will fade away even as he goes about his business.

¹² Blessed is the man who endures testing, because once he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him.

¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desire.

¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

¹⁸ Of his own will he gave us birth through the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

¹⁹ Know this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,

²⁰ for human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.

²¹ So get rid of all moral filth and the abundance of evil, and humbly receive the implanted word, which has the power to save your souls.

²² Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴ for he looks at himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what he looked like.

²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues in it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person's religion is worthless.

²⁷ Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.