| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. | 1James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the 12 tribes in the Dispersion. Greetings. |
| 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; | 2Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, |
| 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. | 3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. |
| 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. | 4But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. |
| 5If 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. | 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. |
| 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. | 6But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. |
| 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. | 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. |
| 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. | 8An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways. |
| 9Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: | 9The brother of humble circumstances should boast in his exaltation, |
| 10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. | 10but the one who is rich should boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field. |
| 11For 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. | 11For the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will wither away while pursuing his activities. |
| 12Blessed 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. | 12A man who endures trials is blessed, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. |
| 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: | 13No one undergoing a trial should say, "I am being tempted by God." For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone. |
| 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. | 14But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. |
| 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. | 15Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Do not err, my beloved brethren. | 16Don't be deceived, my dearly loved brothers. |
| 17Every 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. | 17Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning. |
| 18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | 18By His own choice, He gave us a new birth by the message of truth so that we would be the firstfruits of His creatures. |
| 19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: | 19My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, |
| 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. | 20for man's anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. |
| 21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. | 21Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and evil, humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you. |
| 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. | 22But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. |
| 23For 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: | 23Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. |
| 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. | 24For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. |
| 25But 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. | 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works--this person will be blessed in what he does. |
| 26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. | 26If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself. |
| 27Pure 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. | 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. |
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