James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,

For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.