Book 59 James
001:001 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the
twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
001:002 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations;
001:003 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
001:004 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing.
001:005 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.
001:006 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed.
001:007 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of
the Lord.
001:008 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
001:009 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
001:010 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of
the grass he shall pass away.
001:011 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it
withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the
grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich
man fade away in his ways.
001:012 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him.
001:013 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:
001:014 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed.
001:015 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
001:016 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
001:017 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and
cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning.
001:018 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
001:019 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
001:020 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
001:021 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word,
which is able to save your souls.
001:022 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves.
001:023 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:
001:024 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
001:025 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.
001:026 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.
001:027 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to
keep himself unspotted from the world.
002:001 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
002:002 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring,
in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile
raiment;
002:003 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and
say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the
poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
002:004 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges
of evil thoughts?
002:005 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of
this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he
hath promised to them that love him?
002:006 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you,
and draw you before the judgment seats?
002:007 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are
called?
002:008 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
002:009 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors.
002:010 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all.
002:011 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not
kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou
art become a transgressor of the law.
002:012 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the
law of liberty.
002:013 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no
mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
002:014 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
002:015 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
002:016 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?
002:017 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
002:018 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.
002:019 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble.
002:020 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is
dead?
002:021 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had
offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
002:022 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was
faith made perfect?
002:023 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed
God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was
called the Friend of God.
002:024 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only.
002:025 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works,
when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out
another way?
002:026 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also.
003:001 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall
receive the greater condemnation.
003:002 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in
word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the
whole body.
003:003 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey
us; and we turn about their whole body.
003:004 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.
003:005 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great
things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
003:006 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the
tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and
setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of
hell.
003:007 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and
of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of
mankind:
003:008 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of
deadly poison.
003:009 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse
we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
003:010 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My
brethren, these things ought not so to be.
003:011 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and
bitter?
003:012 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a
vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and
fresh.
003:013 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him
shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of
wisdom.
003:014 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory
not, and lie not against the truth.
003:015 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly,
sensual, devilish.
003:016 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every
evil work.
003:017 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.
003:018 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that
make peace.
004:001 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
004:002 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot
obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
004:003 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may
consume it upon your lusts.
004:004 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.
004:005 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that
dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
004:006 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
004:007 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he
will flee from you.
004:008 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your
hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
004:009 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned
to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
004:010 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift
you up.
004:011 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil
of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the
law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art
not a doer of the law, but a judge.
004:012 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who
art thou that judgest another?
004:013 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:
004:014 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.
004:015 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and
do this, or that.
004:016 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is
evil.
004:017 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is sin.
005:001 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that
shall come upon you.
005:002 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
005:003 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.
005:004 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.
005:005 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye
have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
005:006 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist
you.
005:007 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.
005:008 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of
the Lord draweth nigh.
005:009 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be
condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
005:010 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name
of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of
patience.
005:011 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the
patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the
Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
005:012 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.
005:013 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let
him sing psalms.
005:014 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the
church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in
the name of the Lord:
005:015 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.
005:016 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.
005:017 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.
005:018 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth
brought forth her fruit.
005:019 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him;
005:020 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the
error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide
a multitude of sins.
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