James 1

Greeting

1James, # Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3; Ac 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Gl 1:19; 2:9,12; Jd 1 a slave of God # Ac 16:17; Rm 1:1; Eph 6:6; Jms 1:1; 1Pt 2:16; Rv 1:1 and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

To the 12 tribes # Gn 49:28; Ex 24:4; Ezk 47:13; Mt 19:28; Ac 26:7; Rv 21:12 in the Dispersion. # Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands who spoke Gk and were influenced by Gk culture. # Jn 7:35; 1Pt 1:1

Greetings. # Ti 1:1

Trials and Maturity

2Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, # Mt 5:12; 1Pt 1:6 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking 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. # 1Kg 3:9; Pr 2:3-6; Mt 7:7 6But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8An indecisive # Or A doubting, or A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. # Jms 4:8; 2Pt 2:14

9The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation, 10but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. # 1Co 7:31; 1Pt 1:24 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. # Ps 102:4,11; Is 40:7

12A man who endures trials # Lit trial, used as a collective is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown # 1Co 9:25; 2Tm 4:8; 1Pt 5:4; Rv 2:10; 3:11 of life that God # Other mss read that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. # Mt 10:22; Jms 2:5

13No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, # Or evil persons, or evil things and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. 14But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. # Pr 7:6-23 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. # Jb 15:35; Ps 7:14; Is 59:4; Rm 6:23

16Don’t be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. # 1Co 6:9; Jms 1:19 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. # Nm 23:19; Mal 3:6; Jn 3:27; 1Jn 1:5 18By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth # = the gospel so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures. # Jn 1:13; Eph 1:12

Hearing and Doing the Word

19My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, # Pr 10:19; 17:27; Ec 5:1-2 20for man’s anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. 21Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, # Lit evil excess humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. # Lit save your souls # Eph 1:13; 4:22; Col 3:8

22But # Mt 7:24-27; Rm 2:13; Jms 2:14-20 be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face # Lit at the face of his birth in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 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. # Jn 13:17; Jms 2:12

26If anyone # Other mss add among you thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, # Ps 34:13; 39:1; 141:3; Jms 3:2-3; 1Pt 3:10 then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. 27Pure and undefiled religion before our # Or before the God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows # Jb 31:17; Is 1:17,23; Mt 25:36 in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. # Rm 12:2; 1Jn 5:18

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James 1: HCSB

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