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            James New Living Translation (NLT)

chapter 1

     Greetings from James

     1This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

     It is written to Jewish Christians scattered among the nations.

     Greetings!

     Faith and Endurance

     2Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. 3For when

     your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully

     developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

     5If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He

     will not resent your asking. 6But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a

     doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7People like that

     should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8They can't make up their minds. They waver back and

     forth in everything they do.

     9Christians who are poor should be glad, for God has honored them. 10And those who are rich should be glad,

     for God has humbled them. They will fade away like a flower in the field. 11The hot sun rises and dries up the

     grass; the flower withers, and its beauty fades away. So also, wealthy people will fade away with all of their

     achievements.

     12God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God

     has promised to those who love him. 13And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, "God

     is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either. 14Temptation

     comes from the lure of our own evil desires. 15These evil desires lead to evil actions, and evil actions lead to

     death. 16So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters.

     17Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven's lights. Unlike them,

     he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by

     giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.

     Listening and Doing

     19My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. 20Your anger can

     never make things right in God's sight.

     21So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your

     hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls.

     22And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don't obey, you are only fooling

     yourself. 23For if you just listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to

     improve your appearance. 24You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25But if you keep

     looking steadily into God's perfect law--the law that sets you free--and if you do what it says and don't

     forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

     26If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is

     worthless. 27Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and

     widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.

chapter 2

     A Warning against Prejudice

     1My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you

     favor some people more than others?

     2For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry,

     and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3If you give special attention and a good

     seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, "You can stand over there, or else sit on the

     floor"--well, 4doesn't this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?

     5Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't

     they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6And yet, you insult the poor

     man! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus

     Christ, whose noble name you bear?

     8Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord's royal command found in the Scriptures: "Love your

     neighbor as yourself." 9But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are

     guilty of breaking that law.

     10And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God's

     laws. 11For the same God who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." So if you murder

     someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery.

     12So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law

     that set you free. 13For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you

     have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.

     Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead

     14Dear brothers and sisters, what's the use of saying you have faith if you don't prove it by your actions?

     That kind of faith can't save anyone. 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing,

     16and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"--but then you don't give that

     person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

     17So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn't show itself by good deeds is no faith at

     all--it is dead and useless.

     18Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." I say, "I can't see your faith

     if you don't have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds."

     19Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and

     they tremble in terror! 20Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is

     useless?

     21Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when

     he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do

     whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did--by his actions. 23And so it

     happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous." He was

     even called "the friend of God." 24So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

     25Rahab the prostitute is another example of this. She was made right with God by her actions--when she hid

     those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. 26Just as the body is dead without a spirit,

     so also faith is dead without good deeds.

chapter 3

     Controlling the Tongue

     1Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be

     judged by God with greater strictness.

     2We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other

     way. 3We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.

     4And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are

     strong. 5So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a

     great forest on fire. 6And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It

     can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

     7People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8but no one can tame the tongue. It is

     an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it

     breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10And so blessing and cursing

     come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11Does a spring of

     water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a

     grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool.

     True Wisdom Comes from God

     13If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour

     forth. And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14But if you are bitterly

     jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie.

     15For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and

     motivated by the Devil. 16For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and

     every kind of evil.

     17But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and

     willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.

     18And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

chapter 4

     Drawing Close to God

     1What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you?

     2You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and

     you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have

     what you want is that you don't ask God for it. 3And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your

     whole motive is wrong--you want only what will give you pleasure.

     4You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again,

     that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. 5What do you think the Scriptures mean

     when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? 6He

     gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

         "God sets himself against the proud,

             but he shows favor to the humble."

         7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw close to God, and God

     will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 9Let there be tears

     for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of

     laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on

     him, he will lift you up and give you honor.

     Warning against Judging Others

     11Don't speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn

     each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God's law. But you are not a judge who can decide

     whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it. 12God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge

     among us. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to condemn your

     neighbor?

     Warning about Self-Confidence

     13Look here, you people who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a

     year. We will do business there and make a profit." 14How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your

     life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone. 15What you ought to say is, "If the Lord

     wants us to, we will live and do this or that." 16Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all

     such boasting is evil.

     17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

chapter 5

     Warning to the Rich

     1Look here, you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.

     2Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3Your gold and silver have become

     worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh in hell. This treasure you have

     accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. 4For listen! Hear the cries of the

     field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries

     of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

     5You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every whim. Now your hearts are nice and fat,

     ready for the slaughter. 6You have condemned and killed good people who had no power to defend

     themselves against you.

     Patience in Suffering

     7Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who

     eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen.

     8You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

     9Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is

     coming. He is standing at the door!

     10For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the

     name of the Lord. 11We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. Job is an example of a man

     who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord's plan finally ended in good, for he is full of

     tenderness and mercy.

     12But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say

     a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned for it.

     The Power of Prayer

     13Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be

     thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.

     14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them,

     anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the

     Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

     16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of

     a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. 17Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he

     prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! 18Then he prayed for

     rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.

     Restore Wandering Believers

     19My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again,

     20you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about

     the forgiveness of many sins.