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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve
tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all
joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying
of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.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. 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. For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all
his ways. Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass
he shall pass away. 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. 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. 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: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own
lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my
beloved brethren. 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. Of his own will begat he us with the word of
truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to
speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able
to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves. 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
he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was. 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. 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. 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. My brethren,
have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
respect of persons. 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; 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: Are ye not then partial in
yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved
brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this
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