Warning to the Rich

51 Come now , you rich , weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten . 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted ; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire . It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure ! 4 Behold , the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields , and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth . 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure ; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter . 6 You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

Patience and Prayer

7 Therefore be patient , brethren , until the coming of the Lord . The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil , being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient ; strengthen your hearts , for the coming of the Lord is near . 9 Do not complain , brethren , against one another , so that you yourselves may not be judged ; behold , the Judge is standing right at the door . 10 As an example , brethren , of suffering and patience , take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord . 11 We count those blessed who endured . You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful .

12 But above all , my brethren , do not swear , either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath ; but your yes is to be yes , and your no , no , so that you may not fall under judgment . 13 Is anyone among you suffering ? Then he must pray . Is anyone cheerful ? He is to sing praises . 14 Is anyone among you sick ? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord ; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick , and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins , they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore , confess your sins to one another , and pray for one another so that you may be healed . The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much . 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours , and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain , and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months . 18 Then he prayed again , and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit . 19 My brethren , if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back , 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins .

The Tongue

31 Let not many of you become teachers , my brethren , knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment . 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says , he is a perfect man , able to bridle the whole body as well . 3 Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well . 4 Look at the ships also , though they are so great and are driven by strong winds , are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires . 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things . See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire ! 6 And the tongue is a fire , the very world of iniquity ; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body , and sets on fire the course of our life , and is set on fire by hell . 7 For every species of beasts and birds , of reptiles and creatures of the sea , is tamed and has been tamed by the human race . 8 But no one e can tame the tongue ; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison . 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father , and with it we curse men , who have been made in the likeness of God ; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing . My brethren , these things ought not to be this way . 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree , my brethren , produce olives , or a vine produce figs ? Nor can salt water produce fresh .

The Wisdom from Above

13 Who among you is wise and understanding ? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom . 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart , do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth . 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above , but is earthly , natural , demonic . 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing . 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure , then peaceable , gentle , reasonable , full of mercy and good fruits , unwavering , without hypocrisy . 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace .