James 1
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: greetings.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face all kinds of trials,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 And let perseverance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to everyone without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
6 But ask in faith, without doubting at all, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
7 That person should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
8 They are double-minded and unstable in all their ways.
9 Let the brother or sister of humble circumstances take pride in being lifted up,
10 and the rich in being brought low, because they will pass away like a flower in the grass.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty is lost. In the same way, the rich will wither away in all they do.
12 Blessed is the one who endures trial, because, once approved, they will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him.
13 No one being tempted should say, “I am tempted by God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
14 But each person is tempted by their own desire, which drags them away and lures them.
15 Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be misled, my beloved brothers and sisters.
17 Every good gift and every perfect present comes from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
18 By his own choice he gave us birth through the word of truth, so that we might be like the firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Know this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.
20 For human anger does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 So, putting away all impurity and every excess of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your lives.
22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, that person is like someone who looks at the face they were born with in a mirror.
24 They look at themselves, go away, and immediately forget what they looked like.
25 But the one who looks closely into the perfect law, the law of freedom, and continues in it, not becoming a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, will be blessed in what they do.
26 If anyone thinks they are religious but does not keep a tight rein on their tongue, they deceive their heart, and their religion is worthless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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