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Chapter 2
1 My brethren, have not the
faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2
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;
3 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:
4 Are
ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before
the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye
are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons,
ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11
For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit
no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12
So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth
against judgment.
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked,
and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace,
be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe,
and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his
son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham
believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the
Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when
she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Chapter 3
1 My brethren, be not many masters,
knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
2 For in many things
we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able
also to bridle the whole body.
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that
they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships,
which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned
about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the
tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter
a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is
the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire
the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts,
and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been
tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full
of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse
we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth
proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can
the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain
both yield salt water and fresh.
13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge
among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not
against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly,
sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality,
and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of
them that make peace.
Chapter 4
1 From whence come wars and
fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because
ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture
saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth
more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn,
and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 Speak
not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth
his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the
law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who
is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13 Go to now,
ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there
a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
14 Whereas ye know not what shall be
on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord
will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings:
all such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Chapter 5
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep
and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted,
and your garments are moth eaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the
rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were
fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
4 Behold, the hire
of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by
fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears
of the Lord of sabaoth.
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton;
ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
6 Ye have condemned
and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren,
unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit
of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter
rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord
draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:
behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets,
who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction,
and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of
the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful,
and of tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither
by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be
yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13 Is any among you afflicted?
let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14 Is any sick among you? let
him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven
him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that
it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and
six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought
forth her fruit.
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert
him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his
way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.