1 1 I, James, am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am writing this letter to all the Jewish people who trust in Christ (OR, to all God’s people) who are scattered throughout the world. I send my greetings to you all.
2 My fellow believers, rejoice greatly, even when you experience various kinds of difficulties/troubles. 3 God sometimes allows you to experience difficulties in order to test whether or not you will continue to trust him. Whenever that happens, you need to realize more and more that if you continue to trust him, you will be able to bravely/patiently endure difficulties. 4 Keep on enduring difficulties bravely/patiently by trusting God more and more firmly [PRS], in order that you may become all that he intends you to be [DOU] (OR, spiritually mature and complete), not lacking ◄any good quality/anything you need to conduct your lives as God wants you to►.
5 If anyone of you does not know how to act wisely in order to endure difficulties/trials well, he should ask God to show him what he should do, because God wholeheartedly/gladly helps all people who ask and does not scold anyone for asking. Those who ask, God will give them wisdom to know what they should do. 6 But when you ask God, you should firmly trust him. You should not doubt that he wants to help you always, because people who keep doubting God are unstable/changeable [SIM] like a wave of the sea that is blown back and forth by the wind {that goes back and forth when the wind blows} [DOU, SIM]. 7 Indeed, people who doubt should not think that the Lord God will do anything that they request him to do, 8 because they are people who cannot decide whether they will commit themselves to God, and they are unstable/undecided in everything that they do.
9 Believers who are poor should be happy that God considers them very valuable (OR, has exalted them spiritually) [MTY]. 10 And believers who are rich should be happy that they have humbled themselves in order to trust in Jesus Christ (OR, but rich people can only take pride in the fact that God will humble them when he judges everyone [IRO]), because they and their riches [MTY] will pass away, just like wild flowers wither [SIM]. 11 When the sun rises, the scorching hot wind dries plants, and their flowers fall and are no longer beautiful. Similarly, rich people will die [MET] while they are busy working, leaving behind their riches.
12 God is pleased with people who bravely/patiently endure difficulties. And when, by bravely enduring difficulties, they have proved that they truly trust him, he will give them eternal life. That is the reward [MET] that he has promised to give to those who love him.
13 If people are tempted to do something that is evil, they should not think that it is God who is tempting them, because God is totally/completely good. He never tempts anyone to do what is evil, nor can he ever be tempted to do anything evil. 14 But people strongly desire to do evil [PRS] things, and as a result they are tempted by those desires {those desires stimulate them} to do something evil [PRS, DOU]. 15 Then, because they have desired [MET] to do evil [PRS] things, they begin to [MET] do [PRS] them. And when they have become ones who habitually do what is evil [MET], if they do not turn away from their sinful behavior, they will be separated from God forever.
16 My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves, thinking that God does evil things. 17 The truth is that God, our heavenly Father [MTY], does only good [DOU] things for us, in order to help us become all that he intends us to be. He is not like all the things in the sky that he created to give light, because they change; that is, they do not shine the same all the time. But God never changes. He is always good. 18 And because he wanted to help us, he gave us spiritual life as a result of our trusting in his true message. So now we have become the first ones of all the people [MET] that he created to ◄be totally dedicated to/completely belong to► him.
19 My fellow believers whom I love, you know (OR, I want you to now) that every one of you should be eager to pay attention to God’s true message. Don’t speak without thinking, nor get angry easily, 20 because when any one of you gets angry, you will not be doing the righteous things that God wants you to do.
21 So stop doing all kinds of evil [DOU] things, and humbly obey (OR, submit to) the message that God put in your ◄inner beings/hearts►, because he is able to save you [SYN] if you accept his message. 22 Do what God commands in his message. Do not only listen to it, because people who only listen to it and do not obey it are wrong when they think that God will save them. 23 Some people hear God’s message but do not do what it says [MET]. They are like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [SIM]. 24 Although he looks at himself, he goes away from the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But other people look closely at God’s message, which is perfect and which sets people free to voluntarily do what God wants them to do. And if they continue to examine God’s message and do not just hear it and then forget it, but do what God tells them to do, God will bless them because of what they do.
26 Some people think that they worship God in the right way, but they habitually say evil things [MTY]. Those people are wrong in thinking [SYN] that they worship God rightly. The fact is that they worship God ◄in vain/uselessly►. 27 One of the things that God has told us to do is to take care of orphans and widows who suffer hardship. Those who do that and who do not think or act immorally like those who do not obey God [MTY] truly [DOU] worship God, who is our Father, and God approves of them.
2 1 My fellow believers, because you trust our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is glorious/wonderful, stop honoring some people more than others. 2 For example, suppose that a person who wears gold rings and fine clothes enters your meeting place. Then suppose that a poor person who wears shabby/ragged clothes also comes in. 3 And suppose that you ◄show special attention to/treat better► the one who is dressed in fine clothes by saying, “Sit here in this good seat!” and you say to the poor one, “Stand there or sit on the floor [MTY]!” 4 Then you have obviously [RHQ] caused divisions in the congregation (OR, you are clearly treating one better than the others, and you are using evil motives/reasons to ◄evaluate people/decide whether people are important or not►). 5 Listen to me, my fellow believers whom I love: God has chosen [RHQ] poor people whom unbelievers consider to possess nothing of value, so that he might bless them greatly because they trust in him, and in order that they will enter the place where he will rule [MET] forever. That is what he has promised to those who love him. 6 But you dishonor the poor people. Think about it! ◄It is rich people, not poor people, who are causing you to suffer!/Isn’t it rich people, not poor people, who are oppressing you?► [RHQ] ◄It is the rich people who forcibly take you to court to accuse you in front of judges!/Is it not the rich people who forcibly take you to court to accuse you in front of judges?► [RHQ] 7 ◄And they are the ones who say evil things about Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy of praise, to whom you belong!/Are they not the ones who say evil things about Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy of praise, to whom you belong?► [RHQ] 8 In the Scriptures God has commanded each of you to love other people like you love yourself. That commandment was also given by Jesus our King [MTY]. If you are loving others, you are doing what is right. 9 But if you honor some people more than others, you are ◄doing wrong/sinning►. And because you do not do what God commanded us to do, he condemns you [PRS] because you disobey his laws.
10 Do not forget that those who disobey only one of God’s laws, even if they obey all his other laws, God considers them to be as guilty as anyone who has disobeyed all of God’s laws. 11 For example, God said, “Do not commit adultery,” but he also said, “Do not murder anyone.” So if you (sg) do not commit adultery but you (sg) murder someone, you (sg) have become a person who disobeys God’s laws.
12 Continually speak and act toward others as people should who will be judged {whom God will judge} by the law that frees us from being punished {God punishing us} for our sins. 13 Speak and act like that, because when God judges us, he will not act mercifully toward those who do not act mercifully toward others. But when we are merciful to others, we can rejoice, because our being merciful shows that we are acting like people whom God has mercifully saved from being judged (OR, we can rejoice because God will judge us mercifully).
14 My fellow believers, there are some people who say, “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,” but they do not do good things for other people. ◄Their saying that will certainly not do them any good!/What good will their saying that do for them?► [RHQ] God will certainly not save people like that who say that they believe, but do not do good things! [RHQ] 15 To illustrate, suppose that fellow believers, either men or women, don’t have enough clothing or food for each day. 16 And suppose that one of you says to them, “May God bless you and supply the clothing and food that you need!” but you (sg) do not give them the things that they need. ◄That would be no help to them!/What help is that to them?► [RHQ] 17 Similarly, those who do not do good things to help others, what they have said about their believing in Christ is as useless [MET] as a dead person is useless. They do not really believe in Christ.
18 But someone may say to me, “God saves some people only because they trust in him, and he saves others because they do good deeds to people.” I would answer that person, “You(sg) cannot prove to me that people truly trust in God if they do not do good things for others. But by doing good things for others I will prove to you that I truly trust in God” 19 Think about it! You believe that there is only one God, and you are right to believe that. But the demons also believe that, but they tremble with fear because they know that God is going to punish them. 20 Also, you foolish person, I will [RHQ] prove to you (sg) that if someone says, “I trust in God,” but he does not do good things, what that person says will not benefit him. 21 ◄It was certainly because of what our revered ancestor Abraham did, when he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered by God {that God considered him} to be a righteous, obedient person./Was it not because of what our revered ancestor Abraham did, when he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered by God {that God considered him} to be a righteous, obedient person?► [RHQ] 22 You (sg) can realize that he was not only trusting in God, but he was also doing what God told him to do, and you(sg) can realize that he was able to trust in God more completely because of having done what God told him to do. 23 And so it happened as it is written in the Scriptures: “Because Abraham truly trusted in God, he was considered by God to be {God considered that he was} righteous.” And God also said about Abraham, “He is my friend.” 24 From the example of Abraham, you can realize that it is because people do good things that God considers them to be righteous, and not only because they trust in him. 25 Similarly, it was certainly [RHQ] because of what Rahab did, that God considered her to be a righteous, obedient person. Rahab was previously a prostitute, but she cared for the Israelite men who came to ◄spy out the land/see what that area was like► and she helped them to escape by sending them home on a different road from the one that they came on.
26 Remember that when our spirits permanently leave our bodies, our bodies are dead and useless. Similarly [SIM], if someone says, “I trust in God,” but does not do things to help others, what that person says about trusting in God is useless.
3 1 My fellow believers, not many of you should desire to become teachers of God’s truth, because you know that God will judge us (exc), who teach others, more severely than he will judge other people. 2 It is true that we all in many ways do things that are wrong [MET]. But those who always [LIT] control what they say will be all that God intends/wants them to be. They will be able to control all their actions [MTY]. 3 To illustrate, if we put a small metal bit into the mouth of a horse in order to cause the horse to obey us, we can cause the horse to turn and go where we want it to [MET]. 4 Think also about ships. Although a ship may be very large and although it can be moved by strong winds {strong winds can move it}, by turning a very small ◄rudder/steering paddle► people can direct the ship wherever they want it to go. 5 Similarly, although our tongues are very small, if we do not control them, we can harm many people by what we proudly say [MTY]. Think also about how just a small flame of fire can cause a large forest (OR, a large area of brushwood) to burn.
6 Just like a fire damages a forest [MET], when we say things that are evil, we harm many people. What we say [MTY] reveals that we are very evil. What we say contaminates/defiles everything that we think and do [PRS, MET]. Just like a flame of fire easily causes the whole surrounding area [MET] to burn, what we say [MTY] can cause others to want to do evil. It is the devil himself [MTY] who causes us to say evil things. 7 Indeed, although people are able to tame/control all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and creatures that live in the water, and people have actually tamed/controlled them, 8 no person ◄on his own/by himself► is able to control what he says [MTY]. And when people say evil things, it shows that they are unstable/uncontrolled and wicked [MTY]. As the poison of a snake kills people [MTY], we harm others [MET] by what we say. 9 We use our tongue to praise God, who is our Lord and Father, but we also use our same tongue to ask God to say evil things to people. That is very wrong! God made people like himself, so we should speak as respectfully to others as we speak to God. 10 We praise God, but with our same mouth we also ask for evil things to happen to others. My fellow believers, this should not be! 11 Surely bitter water and good water do not come out of the same spring! [RHQ] 12 My fellow believers, a fig tree cannot [RHQ] produce olives. Nor can [RHQ] a grapevine produce figs. Neither can a salty spring produce good water. Similarly, we should say only good things, and we should not say evil things [MET].
13 If any of you thinks [RHQ] that you are wise and know a lot, you should always act in a good way to show people that your good actions are the result of your being truly wise. Being wise helps us to act gently toward others. 14 But if you are very [MET] jealous/unhappy when you see that someone else is succeeding, and always want to have what you want, regardless of what others want, you should not say that you are wise, for by boasting like that, you are saying that ◄God’s message/what God says about you► is not true. 15 Those who have such attitudes are not wise [MTY] in the way that God wants them to be. Instead, they are only thinking and acting like ◄ungodly people/people who do not please God►. They think and act according to their own evil desires. They do what the demons want them to do (OR, they think and act as demons do). 16 Keep in mind that people who have such attitudes ◄are unruly/do not submit to authority► and do all kinds of evil things. 17 But when people are wise [PRS] in the way that God [MTY] wants them to be, they are pure in every way, which God considers to be very important. They also act peaceably towards others, they ◄are considerate of/think about the rights and feelings of► others, they are willing to yield to the wishes of others, they act compassionately toward others, and they do all kinds of good things for others [MET]. How they treat others does not depend on ◄others’ status/whether others are important or not►, and they are sincere in all they do. 18 Those who act peaceably toward others cause others to also act peaceably, with the result that they all live together acting toward each other in a righteous way [MET].
4 1 Now I will tell you why you are fighting among yourselves and quarreling with each other [RHQ]. It is [RHQ] because each of you wants to do evil things [PRS]. You keep on wanting to do things that are not what God wants you to do. 2 There are things that you very much desire to have, but you do not get those things, so you want to kill [HYP] those who hinder you from getting them. You desire what other people have, but you are unable to get what you desire, so you quarrel and fight with one another [HYP]. You do not have what you desire because you do not ask God for it. 3 And even when you do ask him, he does not give you what you ask for because you are asking for the wrong reason. You are asking for things in order that you may use them just to ◄enjoy yourselves/make yourselves happy►.
4 Like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, you are being unfaithful to God and not obeying him anymore [MET]. Those who are behaving as evil people do [MTY] (OR, Those who love the evil pleasures of this world) are hostile toward God. Perhaps you do not realize that [RHQ]. So those who decide to act as evil people do [MTY] become enemies of God. 5 ◄Surely you remember that God told us in the Scriptures that he eagerly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love God only!/Do you think that it is for no reason that God told us in the Scriptures that he strongly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love God only?► [RHQ] God has a reason for desiring that. 6 It is because he is kind to us and he wants very much to help us. That is why ◄someone said/King Solomon wrote► in the Scriptures, “God opposes those who are proud, but he helps those who are humble.”
7 So submit yourselves to God. ◄Resist the devil/Refuse to do what the devil wants►, and as a result he will run away from you. 8 Come near spiritually to God, and as a result he will come near to you. You who are sinners, stop doing what is wrong, and do only what is good [SYN, MET]. You who cannot decide whether you will ◄commit yourselves to God/obey God completely►, stop thinking wrong thoughts, and think only pure thoughts [MTY]. 9 Be sorrowful and weep/mourn [DOU] because of the wrong things that you have done. Do not laugh [DOU], ◄enjoying only what you selfishly/enjoying only what you yourselves► desire. Instead, be sad because you have done what is wrong. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and as a result he will honor you.
11 My fellow believers, stop saying evil things about one another, because those who say something evil about a fellow believer and are therefore condemning one who is like a brother to them are really speaking against the law that God gave us to obey. In this law, God commanded [MTY] us to love others, and those who say evil things about fellow believers, it is as though they are saying that we do not have to do what God commanded. If you (sg) say that you do not have to do what God commanded, you (sg) are not obeying God’s law. Instead, you (sg) are claiming that you have the authority to condemn others. 12 But in fact, there is only one who has the authority to tell people what is right to do and to condemn them, and that is God. He alone is able to save people or to destroy people. So, ◄you (sg) certainly have no right to decide how God should punish other people./who are you to decide how God should punish other people?► [RHQ]
13 Some of you are arrogantly saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city. We will spend a year there and we will buy and sell things and earn a lot of money.” Now, you listen to me! 14 You should not talk like that, because you do not know what will happen tomorrow, and you do not know how long you will live! Your life is short [MET], like a mist that appears for a short time and then disappears. 15 Instead of what you are saying, you should say, “If the Lord wills/desires, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But what you are doing is boasting about all the things that you arrogantly plan to do. Your boasting like that is evil.
17 So if anyone knows the right thing that he should do, but he does not do it, he is sinning.
5 1 Now I have something to say to the rich people who do not believe in Christ and who ◄oppress you/cause you to suffer►. Listen to me, you rich people! You should weep and wail loudly [DOU] because you will experience terrible troubles [PRS]! 2 Your wealth of various kinds is worthless [MET], as though it were rotted. Your fine clothes are worthless [MET], as though termites had ruined them. 3 Your gold and silver are worthless [MET], as though they were corroded. When God judges you, this worthless wealth [MTY] of yours will be evidence [PRS] that you are guilty of being greedy, and as rust and fire destroy [MET, SYN] things, God will severely punish you [SIM]. You have ◄in vain/uselessly► ◄stored up/accumulated► wealth at a time when God is about to judge you [MTY]. 4 Think about what you have done. You have not paid wages to the workmen who have harvested your fields for you, with the result that [PRS] those reapers are crying out to God for him to help them. And God, the all-powerful Lord, has heard their loud cries. 5 You have lived luxuriously, just to have pleasure here on earth. Just like cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that they will be slaughtered [MET], you have lived just for pleasure [MTY], not realizing that God will severely punish you. 6 You have arranged for others/judges to condemn innocent people. You have arranged for others to kill some people. And even though those people had not done anything wrong, they were not able to defend themselves against you. My fellow believers, that is what I say to the rich people ◄who oppress you/cause you to suffer►.
7 So, my fellow believers, although rich people cause you to suffer, be patient until the Lord Jesus Christ comes back. Remember that when farmers plant a field, they wait for their valuable crops to grow. They must wait patiently for the rain that comes at the planting season and for more rain that comes just before the harvest season. They wait for the crops to grow and mature before they can harvest them. 8 Similarly, you also should wait patiently and trust the Lord Jesus firmly, because he is coming back soon and will judge all people fairly. 9 My fellow believers, do not complain about each other, in order that you will not be condemned and punished by the Lord Jesus {in order that the Lord Jesus will not condemn you}. It is he who will judge us, and he is ready to appear. 10 My fellow believers, as an example of how to be patient, ◄consider/think about► the prophets whom the Lord God sent long ago to speak his messages [MTY]. Although people caused the prophets to suffer a lot, they endured it patiently. 11 And we know that God ◄approves of/is pleased with► those who endure suffering for him. You have also heard about Job. You know that although he suffered much, the Lord God finally caused things to turn out well for Job because he endured that suffering (OR, because he continued to trust God). And from that we know that the Lord is very compassionate and kind.
12 Also, my fellow believers, I want to say something important about how you talk. If you say that you will do something, do not say, “If I do not do it, may God in heaven [MTY] punish me.” Do not even say, “If I do not do it, may someone here on earth [MTY] punish me.” Do not say anything like that. Instead, if you say “Yes,” then do what you said that you would do. If you say “No,” then do not do it. Otherwise, God will condemn you.
13 Whoever among you is experiencing trouble [RHQ] should pray that God would help him. Whoever is cheerful/happy [RHQ] should sing songs of praise to God. 14 Whoever among you is sick [RHQ] should call the leaders of the congregation to come to pray for him. They should put olive oil on him and, with the Lord’s authority [MTY] (OR, calling on the Lord to heal him), pray. 15 And if they truly trust in the Lord when they pray [PRS], the sick person will be healed. The Lord will heal him. And if that person has sinned ◄in a way that caused him to be/and because of that he became► sick, if he ◄confesses what he did/says that he did what is wrong►, he will be forgiven {the Lord will forgive him}. 16 So, because the Lord is able to heal the sick and to forgive sins, tell each other the sinful things that you have done, and pray for each other in order that you may be healed {that God may heal you} physically and spiritually. If righteous people pray and ask fervently for God to do something, God will certainly do it in a powerful way. 17 Although the prophet Elijah was ◄an ordinary person/just a human being► like us, he earnestly prayed that it would not rain. As a result, it did not rain for three and a half years. 18 Then he prayed again, asking God to send rain, and as a result God [MTY] sent rain, and plants grew and produced crops again.
19 My fellow believers, if anyone of you stops obeying the true message from God, someone from among you should persuade that person to once again do what God has told us to do. If he stops doing what is wrong, 20 the one who persuaded him should realize that because he has enabled the person who was sinning to stop doing what is wrong, God will save that person from ◄spiritual death/being separated from him forever►, and will forgive his many sins.