The Epistle of James
The Modern Young's Literal Translation© 2005



CHAPTER 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |


Bible Menu



CHAPTER 1

1  James, of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in the dispersion: Hail!
2  Count [it] all joy, my brethren, when you may fall into various temptations;
3  knowing that the proof of your faith does work endurance,
4  and let the endurance have a perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire -- lacking in nothing;
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, doubting nothing, for he who is doubting has been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed,
7  for let that man not 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 he shall pass away as a flower of grass;
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 does 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 -- ` I am tempted from God,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself does tempt no one,
14  and each one is tempted, being led away and enticed by his own desires,
15  afterward the desire having conceived, does give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, does bring forth death.
16  Be not led astray, my beloved brethren;
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 counseled, He did produce us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.
19  So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
20  for the wrath of a man does not work the righteousness of God;
21  for what reason having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, be receiving the engrafted word in meekness, that is able to save your souls;
22  and become you 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 has been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror,
24  for he did view himself, and has 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 becoming a forgetful hearer, but a doer of work -- this one shall be happy in his doing.
26  If any one does think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one the religion [is];
27  religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation -- to keep himself unspotted from the world.


CHAPTER 2

1  My brethren, hold not, in respect of persons, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,
2  for if there may come into your synagogue a man with gold ring, in gay raiment, and there may come in also a poor man in vile raiment,
3  and you may look upon him bearing the gay raiment, and may say to him, `You -- sit you here well,' and to the poor man may say, `You -- stand you there, or, Sit you here under my footstool,' --
4  you did not judge fully in yourselves, and did become ill-reasoning judges.
5  Listen, my beloved brethren, did not God choose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the reign that He promised to those loving Him?
6  and you did dishonor the poor one; do not the rich oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats;
7  do they not themselves speak evil of the good name that was called upon you?
8  If, indeed, you complete royal law, according to the Writing, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' -- you do well;
9  and if you accept persons, you do work sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors;
10  for whoever shall keep the whole law, and shall stumble in one [point], he has become guilty of all;
11  for He who is saying, `You may not commit adultery,' said also, `You may do no murder;' and if you shall not commit adultery, and shall commit murder, you have become a transgressor of law;
12  so you speak and so do, as about to be judged by a law of liberty,
13  for the judgment without kindness [is] to him not having done kindness, and exult does kindness over judgment.
14  What [is] the profit, my brethren, if faith, any one may speak of having, and he may not have works? is that faith able to save him?
15  and if a brother or sister may be naked, and may be destitute of the daily food,
16  and any one of you may say to them, `Depart you in peace, be warmed, and be filled,' and may not give to them the things needful for the body, what [is] the profit?
17  so also the faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself.
18  But say may some one, You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith out of your works, and I will show you out of my works my faith:
19  you -- you do believe that God is one; you do well, and the demons believe, and they shudder!
20  And do you wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead?
21  Abraham our father -- was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar?
22  do you see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected?
23  and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;' and, he was called `Friend of God'.
24  You see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only;
25  and in like manner also Rahab the harlot -- was she not declared righteous out of works, having received the messengers, and by having sent forth another way?
26  for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.


CHAPTER 3

1  Become not many teachers, my brethren, having known that greater judgment we shall receive,
2  for we all make many stumbles; if any one does not stumble in word, this one [is] a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body;
3  behold, the bits we put into the mouths of the horses for their obeying us, and their whole body we turn about;
4  behold, also the ships, being so great, and by fierce winds being driven, are led about by a very small helm, wheresoever the impulse of the helmsman does counsel,
5  so also the tongue is a little member, and does boast greatly; behold, a little fire how it does kindle much wood!
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 has been subdued, by the human nature,
8  and no one of men is able to subdue the tongue, [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 does come forth blessing and cursing; it does not need, my brethren, these things so to happen;
11  does the fountain pour forth the sweet and the bitter out of the same opening?
12  is a fig-tree able, my brethren, to make olives? or a vine figs? so no fountain [is able] to make salt and sweet water.
13  Who [is] wise and intelligent among you? let him show his works out of the good behavior in meekness of wisdom,
14  and if you have bitter zeal, 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.


CHAPTER 4

1  From where [are] wars and fightings among you? not from there -- out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?
2  you desire, and you have not; you murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; you fight and war, and you have not, because of your not asking;
3  you ask, and you receive not, because you ask evilly, that in your pleasures you may spend [it].
4  Adulterers and adulteresses! have you not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, he is set an enemy of God.
5  Do you think that emptily the Writing says, ` The spirit that did dwell in us earnestly desires to envy,'
6  and greater grace he does give, for what reason he says, `God does set Himself up against proud ones, and He does give grace to lowly ones?'
7  be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;
8  draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; cleanse hands, you sinners! and purify hearts, you two-souled!
9  be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and the joy to heaviness;
10  be made low before the Lord, and He shall exalt you.
11  Speak not one against another, brethren; he who is speaking against a brother, and is judging his brother, does speak against law, and does judge law, and if you do judge law, you are not a doer of law but a judge;
12  one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; you -- who are you that does judge the other?
13  Go, now, you who are saying, `Today and tomorrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;'
14  who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapor that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;
15  instead of your saying, `If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'
16  and now you glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;
17  to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing, it is sin to him.


CHAPTER 5

1  Go, now, you rich! weep, howling over your miseries that are coming upon [you];
2  your riches have rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten;
3  your gold and silver have rotted, and the rust of them shall be for a testimony to you, and shall eat your flesh as fire. You made treasure in the last days!
4  behold, the reward of the workmen, of those who in-gathered your fields, which has been fraudulently kept back by you -- does cry out, and the exclamations of those who did reap have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth;
5  you did live in luxury upon the earth, and were wanton; you did nourish your hearts, as in a day of slaughter;
6  you did condemn -- you did murder the righteous one, he does not resist you.
7  Be patient, then, brethren, till the presence of the Lord; behold, the husbandman does expect the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it, till he may receive rain -- early and latter;
8  be patient, you also; establish your hearts, because the presence of the Lord has drawn near;
9  murmur not against one another, brethren, that you may not be condemned; behold, the Judge has stood before the door.
10  Take you an example of the suffering of evil, my brethren, and of the patience, the prophets who did speak in the name of the Lord;
11  behold, we call happy those who are enduring; you heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the end of the Lord, that very compassionate is the Lord, and pitying.
12  And before all things, my brethren, do not swear, neither by the heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, and let your Yes be Yes, and the No, No; that you may not fall under judgment.
13  Does any one suffer evil among you? let him pray; is any of good cheer? let him sing psalms;
14  is any infirm among you? let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil, in the name of the Lord,
15  and the prayer of the faith shall save the distressed one, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he may have committed sins, they shall be forgiven to him.
16  Be confessing to one another the trespasses, and be praying for one another, that you may be healed; very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man;
17  Elijah was a man like affected as we, and with prayer he did pray -- not to rain, and it did not rain upon the land three years and six months;
18  and again he did pray, and the heaven did give rain, and the land did bring forth her fruit.
19  Brethren, if any among you may go astray from the truth, and any one may turn him back,
20  let him know that he who did turn back a sinner from the straying of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of sins.



Scripture taken from the Modern Young's Literal Translation™
Copyright © 2005
By Allen K. LeClaire
Used by permission of the copyright holder


Policy for quoting and/or printing from the MYLT™

Bookstores can view details on the Modern Young's Literal Translation™ here.
Consumers can purchase the Modern Young's Literal Translation™ here.



Copyright ©2005 by Greater Truth Publishers
All Rights Reserved