New Living Translation | International Standard Version |
1Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. | 1Now listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you. |
2Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. | 2Your riches are rotten, your clothes have been eaten by moths, |
3Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. | 3your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures in these last days. |
4For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. | 4Look! The wages that you kept back from the workers who harvested your fields are shouting out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. |
5You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. | 5You have lived in luxury and pleasure on earth. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. |
6You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you. Patience and Endurance | 6You have condemned and murdered the one who is righteous, even though he did not rebel against you. |
7Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. | 7So be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious crop from his land, being patient with it until it receives the fall and the spring rains. |
8You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. | 8You, too, must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near. |
9Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door! | 9Do not complain about each other, brothers, or you will be condemned. Look! The Judge is standing at the door! |
10For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. | 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord. |
11We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. | 11We consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard about Job's endurance and have seen the purpose of the Lord—that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. |
12But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned. The Power of Prayer | 12Above all, brothers, do not swear oaths by heaven, by earth, or by any other object. Instead, let your "Yes" mean yes and your "No" mean no! Otherwise, you may fall under condemnation. |
13Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. | 13Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying. Is anyone cheerful? He should keep reciting psalms. |
14Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. | 14Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. |
15Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. | 15And the prayer offered in faith will save the person who is sick. The Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. |
16Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. | 16Therefore, make it your habit to confess your sins to one another and to pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. |
17Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! | 17Elijah was a person just like us, and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and rain never came to the land for three years and six months. |
18Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. Restore Wandering Believers | 18Then he prayed again, and the skies poured out rain, and the ground produced its crops. |
19My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, | 19My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and somebody brings him back, |
20you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. | 20you may be sure that whoever brings a sinner back from his wrong path will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. |
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
|