| King James Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. | 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings. |
| 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; | 2Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, |
| 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. | 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. |
| 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. | 4And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. |
| 5If 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. | 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God--who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly--and it will be given to him. |
| 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. | 6But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. |
| 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. | 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, |
| 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. | 8being double-minded and unstable in all his ways. |
| 9Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: | 9Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, |
| 10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. | 10but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. |
| 11For 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. | 11For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities. |
| 12Blessed 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. | 12Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. |
| 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: | 13No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God," since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn't tempt anyone. |
| 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. | 14But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. |
| 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. | 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Do not err, my beloved brethren. | 16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. |
| 17Every 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. | 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. |
| 18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | 18By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. |
| 19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: | 19My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, |
| 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. | 20for human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. |
| 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. | 21Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. |
| 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. | 22But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. |
| 23For 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: | 23Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face in a mirror. |
| 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. | 24For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. |
| 25But 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. | 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works--this person will be blessed in what he does. |
| 26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. | 26If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, his religion is useless and he deceives himself. |
| 27Pure 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. | 27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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