| Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the 12 tribes in 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 a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, | 2Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. |
| 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. | 3For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. |
| 4But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. | 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 to all generously and without criticizing, 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 let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven 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 person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. | 7Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. |
| 8An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways. | 8Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do. |
| 9The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation, | 9Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. |
| 10but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation 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 its scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will wither away while pursuing his activities. | 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. |
| 12A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes 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. |
| 13No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't 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 person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. | 14Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. |
| 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. | 15These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Don't be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. | 16So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. |
| 17Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. | 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. |
| 18By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures. | 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 dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, 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 accomplish God's righteousness. | 20Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. |
| 21Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. | 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. |
| 22But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. | 22But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. |
| 23Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own 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. |
| 24For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. | 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. |
| 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works--this person 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 thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. | 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 look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained 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. |
| Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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