Greeting

¹ James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion. Greetings!

Trials, Testing, and Faith

² Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials,

³ because you¹ know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

1. *Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal

⁴ And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask for it from God, who gives to all without reservation and not reproaching, and it will be given to him.

⁶ But let him ask for it in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about.

⁷ For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹ Now let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his high position,

¹⁰ but the rich person in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a flower of the grass.

¹¹ For the sun rises with its burning heat and dries up the grass, and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is lost. So also the rich person in his pursuits¹ will wither away.

1. Or “on his (business) journeys”; or “in his ways”

¹² Blessed is the person¹ who endures testing, because when he² is approved he will receive the crown of life that he³ has promised to those who love him.

1. Literally “the man,” but clearly in a generic sense here meaning “someone, a person”
2. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is”) which is understood as temporal
3. Most manuscripts read “the Lord” here, while others read “God”

¹³ No one who is being tempted should say, “I am being tempted by God,” for God ⌞cannot be tempted⌟¹ by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

1. Literally “is without temptation”

¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he¹ is dragged away and enticed by his own desires.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is dragged away”) which is understood as temporal

¹⁵ Then desire, after it¹ has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it² is brought to completion, gives birth to death.

1. *Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has conceived”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“is brought to completion”) which is understood as temporal

¹⁶ Do not be deceived, my dear brothers.

¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of change.

¹⁸ By his¹ will he gave birth to us through the message of truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

1. *Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“will”) which is understood as means

Doers of the Message, Not Just Hearers

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers: every person must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

²⁰ for human¹ anger does not accomplish the righteousness of God.

1. Literally “man’s”

²¹ Therefore, putting aside all moral uncleanness and wicked excess, welcome¹ with humility the implanted message which is able to save your souls.

1. Or “receive”

²² But be doers of the message and not hearers only,¹ deceiving yourselves,

1. Some manuscripts have “not only hearers”

²³ because if anyone is a hearer of the message and not a doer, this one is like someone¹ staring at ⌞his own face⌟² in a mirror,

1. Literally “a man,” but clearly in a generic sense here meaning “someone, a person”
2. Literally “the face of his existence”

²⁴ for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.

²⁵ But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues to do it, not being a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts, this one will be blessed ⌞in what he does⌟¹.

1. Literally “in his doing”

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious, although he¹ does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

1. *Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“bridle”) which is understood as concessive

²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our¹ God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun