11 James, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in the dispersion: Hail!
2 All joy count 'it', my brethren, when ye may fall into temptations manifold; 3 knowing that the proof of your faith doth work endurance, 4 and let the endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire—in nothing lacking; 5 and if any of you do lack wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all liberally, and not reproaching, and it shall be given to him; 6 and let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed, 7 for let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord— 8 a two-souled man 'is' unstable in all his ways. 9 And let the brother who is low rejoice in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his becoming low, because as a flower of grass he shall pass away; 11 for the sun did rise with the burning heat, and did wither the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the grace of its appearance did perish, so also the rich in his way shall fade away!
12 Happy the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him.
13 Let no one say, being tempted—'From God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself doth tempt no one, 14 and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed, 15 afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death. 16 Be not led astray, my brethren beloved; 17 every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning; 18 having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.
19 So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for the wrath of a man the righteousness of God doth not work; 21 wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls; 22 and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, 23 because, if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one hath been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror, 24 for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was; 25 and he who did look into the perfect law—that of liberty, and did continue there, this one—not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work—this one shall be happy in his doing. 26 If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain 'is' the religion; 27 religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation—unspotted to keep himself from the world.
31 Many teachers become not, my brethren, having known that greater judgment we shall receive, 2 for we all make many stumbles; if any one in word doth not stumble, this one 'is' a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body; 3 lo, the bits we put into the mouths of the horses for their obeying us, and their whole body we turn about; 4 lo, also the ships, being so great, and by fierce winds being driven, are led about by a very small helm, whithersoever the impulse of the helmsman doth counsel, 5 so also the tongue is a little member, and doth boast greatly; lo, a little fire how much wood it doth kindle! 6 and the tongue 'is' a fire, the world of the unrighteousness, so the tongue is set in our members, which is spotting our whole body, and is setting on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by the gehenna. 7 For every nature, both of beasts and of fowls, both of creeping things and things of the sea, is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the human nature, 8 and the tongue no one of men is able to subdue, 'it is' an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, 9 with it we do bless the God and Father, and with it we do curse the men made according to the similitude of God; 10 out of the same mouth doth come forth blessing and cursing; it doth not need, my brethren, these things so to happen; 11 doth the fountain out of the same opening pour forth the sweet and the bitter? 12 is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? or a vine figs? so no fountain salt and sweet water 'is able' to make.
13 Who 'is' wise and intelligent among you? let him shew out of the good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom, 14 and if bitter zeal ye have, and rivalry in your heart, glory not, nor lie against the truth; 15 this wisdom is not descending from above, but earthly, physical, demon-like, 16 for where zeal and rivalry 'are', there is insurrection and every evil matter; 17 and the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical:— 18 and the fruit of the righteousness in peace is sown to those making peace.
