| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings. | 1This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing to the “twelve tribes”—Jewish believers scattered abroad. Greetings! Faith and Endurance |
| 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, | 2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. |
| 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. | 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. |
| 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. | 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. |
| 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. | 5If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. |
| 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. | 6But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. |
| 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. | 7Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. |
| 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. | 8Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. |
| 9The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. | 9Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. |
| 10But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. | 10And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. |
| 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits. | 11The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements. |
| 12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. | 12God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. |
| 13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. | 13And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. |
| 14But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. | 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. |
| 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. | 15These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. | 16So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. |
| 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. | 17Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. |
| 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation. | 18He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. Listening and Doing |
| 19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, | 19Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. |
| 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. | 20Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. |
| 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls. | 21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. |
| 22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. | 22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
| 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, | 23For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. |
| 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. | 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. |
| 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does. | 25But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. |
| 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. | 26If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. |
| 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. | 27Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. |
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