| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings. | 1From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! |
| 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, | 2My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, |
| 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. | 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. |
| 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. | 4And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. |
| 5If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. | 5But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. |
| 6But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. | 6But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. |
| 7That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. | 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, |
| 8Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. | 8since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. |
| 9Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. | 9Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. |
| 10But the rich should take pride in their humiliation--since they will pass away like a wild flower. | 10But the rich person's pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. |
| 11For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. | 11For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. |
| 12Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. | 12Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. |
| 13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; | 13Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. |
| 14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. | 14But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. |
| 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. | 15Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. |
| 16Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. | 16Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. |
| 17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. | 17All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. |
| 18He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. | 18By his sovereign plan he gave us birth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. |
| 19My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, | 19Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. |
| 20because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. | 20For human anger does not accomplish God's righteousness. |
| 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. | 21So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. |
| 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. | 22But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. |
| 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror | 23For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone who gazes at his own face in a mirror. |
| 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. | 24For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was. |
| 25But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it--not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it--they will be blessed in what they do. | 25But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out--he will be blessed in what he does. |
| 26Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. | 26If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. |
| 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. | 27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world. |
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