章 |
1:1 |
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings.
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1:2 |
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
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1:3 |
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
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1:4 |
And let endurance have [its] perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
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1:5 |
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
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1:6 |
But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
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1:7 |
For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,
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1:8 |
[being] a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
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1:9 |
But let the brother of humble circumstances glory in his high position;
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1:10 |
and [let] the rich man [glory] in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away.
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1:11 |
For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
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1:12 |
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which [the Lord] has promised to those who love Him.
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1:13 |
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
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1:14 |
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
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1:15 |
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
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1:16 |
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
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1:17 |
Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
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1:18 |
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures.
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1:19 |
[This] you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak [and] slow to anger;
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1:20 |
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
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1:21 |
Therefore putting aside all filthiness and [all] that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.
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1:22 |
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
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1:23 |
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
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1:24 |
for [once] he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
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1:25 |
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
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1:26 |
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his [own] heart, this man's religion is worthless.
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1:27 |
This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of [our] God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, [and] to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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