THE BOOK OF JAMES
King James Version
1 ¶ James, a servant of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,
greeting.
2 ¶ My brethren, count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect
and entire, wanting nothing.
5 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.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth
is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of
the grass he shall pass away.
11 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.
12 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.
13 ¶ Let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn
away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,
when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 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.
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 ¶ Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which
is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves.
23 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:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway
forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 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.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his
tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.
1 ¶ My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there
come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there
come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have
respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here
in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my
footstool:
4 Are ye not then
partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my
beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and
heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have
despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the
judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are
called?
8 ¶ If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have
respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as
transgressors.
10 For whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that
said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no
adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye,
and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall
have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth
against judgment.
14 ¶ What doth it profit,
my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save
him?
15 If a brother
or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you
say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye
give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith,
if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may
say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works,
and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou
know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by
works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how
faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture
was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then
how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also
was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
1 ¶ My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we
shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many
things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man,
and able also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put
bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their
whole body.
4 Behold also the
ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are
they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue
is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a
little fire kindleth!
6 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.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and
of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of
mankind:
8 But the tongue
can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless
we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the
similitude of God.
10 Out of the
same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not
so to be.
11 Doth a
fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig
tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain
both yield salt water and fresh.
13 ¶ Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among
you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom
descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
17 But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit
of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
1 ¶ From whence come wars and fightings among you? come
they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and
have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet
ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers
and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with
God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think
that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to
envy?
6 But he giveth
more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto
the humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to
God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted,
and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to
heaviness.
10 Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 ¶ Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that
speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the
law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the
law, but a judge.
12 There is one
lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13 Go to now, ye
that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a
year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 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.
15 For that ye
ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye
rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
1 ¶ Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your
miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are
corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and
silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and
shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the
last days.
4 Behold, the
hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept
back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into
the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived
in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in
a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have
condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also
patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one
against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth
before the door.
10 Take, my
brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example
of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we
count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have
seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12 ¶ But above all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let
your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among
you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer
of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have
committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your
faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a
man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six
months.
18 And he prayed
again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if
any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know,
that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.