1 From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Greetings to all God's people scattered over the whole world.
Faith and Wisdom
2 My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, 3 for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure. 4 Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all. 6 But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown about by the wind. 7-8 If you are like that, unable to make up your mind and undecided in all you do, you must not think that you will receive anything from the Lord.
Poverty and Riches
9 Those Christians who are poor must be glad when God lifts them up, 10 and the rich Christians must be glad when God brings them down. For the rich will pass away like the flower of a wild plant. 11 The sun rises with its blazing heat and burns the plant; its flower falls off, and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way the rich will be destroyed while they go about their business.
Testing and Tempting
12 Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him. 13 If we are tempted by such trials, we must not say, “This temptation comes from God.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires. 15 Then our evil desires conceive and give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be deceived, my dear friends! 17 Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. 18 By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures.
Hearing and Doing
19 Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. 20 Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose. 21 So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.
22 Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice. 23 If you listen to the word, but do not put it into practice you are like people who look in a mirror and see themselves as they are. 24 They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like. 25 But if you look closely into the perfect law that sets people free, and keep on paying attention to it and do not simply listen and then forget it, but put it into practice—you will be blessed by God in what you do.
26 Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. 27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world.
1 Jēkabs, Dieva un Kunga Jēzus Kristus kalps, sūta sveicienu divpadsmit ciltīm, kas dzīvo izkaisītas.
2 Turiet, mani brāļi, to par lielu prieku, ka jūs krītat dažādās kārdinā-šanās,
3 Zinādami, ka jūsu ticības pārbaudīšana sagādā izturību.
4 Bet izturība lai parādās darbā līdz galam, ka jūs būtu pilnīgi caurcaurim, un jums nebūtu nekāda trū-kuma.
5 Bet ja kādam no jums trūkst gudrības, tas lai to lūdz no Dieva, kas visiem dod devīgi un nepārmezdams, un viņam taps dots.
6 Bet lai viņš lūdz ticībā, nemaz nešaubīdamies, jo, kas šaubās, līdzinās vēja dzītam un mētātam jūras vilnim.
7 Jo tāds cilvēks, vīrs ar dalītu dvēseli, nepastāvīgs visos savos ceļos,
8 Lai nedomā, ka viņš no tā Kunga ko saņems.
9 Bet lai zemais brālis lepojas ar savu augstumu,
10 Bet bagātais ar savu zemumu, jo kā zāles zieds viņš iznīks.
11 Jo saule uzlec ar savu svelmi un izkaltē zāli, un viņas zieds nokrīt, un tās vaiga skaistums iet bojā. Tāpat bagātnieks novītīs savās gaitās.
12 Svētīgs tas vīrs, kas pastāv kārdināšanā, jo norūdījumu sasniedzis, tas saņems dzīvības vainagu, ko Viņš ir apsolījis tiem, kas viņu mīl.
13 Neviens kārdināšanā lai nesaka: Dievs mani kārdina, jo ļaunām kārdināšanām Dievs nav pieejams, un pats viņš neviena nekārdina.
14 Bet katru kārdina viņa paša kārība, to vilinādama un valdzinādama.
15 Pēc tam kārība, kad tā ieņēmusies, dzemdē grēku, bet grēks, padarīts, dzemdē nāvi.
16 Nemaldaities, mani mīļie brāļi!
17 Katrs labs devums un katra pilnīga dāvana nāk no augšienes zemē, no gaismas Tēva, pie kura nav ne pārmaiņas, ne pārgrozības ēnas.
18 No brīvas gribas viņš mūs ir dzemdinājis ar patiesības vārdu, lai mēs būtu savā ziņā viņa radījumu pirmaji.
19 Zinait, mani mīļie brāļi: lai ikviens eilvēks ir čakls klausīties, kūtrs runāt, kūtrs dusmoties,
20 Jo cilvēka dusmas nesagādā Dieva taisnību.
21 Tāpēc nolikdami visu netīrību un lielo ļaunprātību, lēnprātībā saņemiet iedēstīto vārdu, kas var izglābt jūsu dvēseles.
22 Bet esiet vārda darītāji un ne tikai klausītāji, paši sevi maldinādami.
23 Jo, ja kads ir vārda klausītājs un ne darītājs, tas līdzinās vīram, kas savu miesīgo seju aplūko spogulī.
24 Jo viņš sevi aplūko un aiziet un tūlīt aizmirst, kāds viņš bija.
25 Bet kas, ieskatīsies un paliks pilnīgajā svabadības likumā, nebūdams aizmāršīgs klausītājs, bet darba darītājs, tas būs svētīgs savā darbībā.
26 Ja kāds šķietas Dievam kalpojam un nesavalda savu mēli, bet maldina savu sirdi, tā kalpošana ir velta.
27 Tīra un neapgānīta kalpošana Dieva Tēva priekšā ir šī: pieskatīt bāriņus un atraitnes viņu bēdās, sevi no pasaules pasargāt neapgānītu.
