{Or, Jacob}James, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, {Greek: wisheth joy.}greeting.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold {Or, trials}temptations;
knowing that the proving of your faith worketh {Or, stedfastness}patience.
And let {Or, stedfastness}patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think {Or, that a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways, shall receive anything of the Lord}that he shall receive anything of the Lord;
a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.
But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate:
and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and 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 goings.
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted {Greek: from.}of God; for God {Or, is untried in evil}cannot be tempted with {Greek: evil things.}evil, and he himself tempteth no man:
but each man is {Or, tempted by his own lust, being drawn away by it, and enticed.}tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
Every good {Or, giving}gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
{Or, Know ye}Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of {Or, malice}wickedness, receive with meekness the {Or, inborn}implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.
For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding {Greek: the face of his birth.}his natural face in a mirror:
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.
If any man {Or, seemeth to be}thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain.
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Querverweise zu Jakobus 1,19 Jak 1,19
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
If any man {Or, seemeth to be}thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man's religion is vain.
and refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them, but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art {Hebrew: a God of forgivenesses.}a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and forsookest them not.
And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate {Hebrew: from the light.}from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women, and of those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive {Greek: greater.}heavier judgment.
He that is soon angry will deal foolishly;And a man of wicked devices is hated.
And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.
And on the second day were gathered together the heads of fathers' houses of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, unto Ezra the scribe, even to give attention to the words of the law.
And they found written in the law, how that Jehovah had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths in the feast of the seventh month;
For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.
He that is slow to anger is of great understanding;But he that is hasty of spirit {Or, carrieth away}exalteth folly.
Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a {Or, closing festival.}solemn assembly, according unto the ordinance.
In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression;But he that refraineth his lips {Or, is wise}doeth wisely.
A wrathful man stirreth up contention;But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.
He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life;But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.
Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;For blessed are they that keep my ways.
Hear instruction, and be wise,And refuse it not.
Blessed is the man that heareth me,Watching daily at my gates,Waiting at the posts of my doors.
For whoso findeth me findeth life,And shall {Hebrew: draw forth.}obtain favor of Jehovah.
The tongue of the wise uttereth knowledge aright;But the mouth of fools poureth out folly.
The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
{[Chapter 4:17 in Hebrew]}Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil. {[Chapter 5:1 in Hebrew]}
He {Or, that hath knowledge spareth his words, And a man of understanding is of a cool spirit}that spareth his words hath knowledge;And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
The discretion of a man maketh him slow to anger;And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door: and he spake the word unto them.
He that giveth answer before he heareth,It is folly and shame unto him.
A man of great wrath shall bear the penalty;For if thou deliver him, thou must do it yet again.
David himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he his son? And {Or, the great multitude}the common people heard him gladly.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue;And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
{Or, He that hath no rule over his spirit}He whose spirit is without restraintIs like a city that is broken down and without walls.
Now all the {See marginal note on chapter 3:12.}publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him.
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongueKeepeth his soul from troubles.
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
and they could not find what they might do; for the people all hung upon him, listening.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter {Or, a word}anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be {Or, vexed}angry; for {Or, vexation}anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and {Or, in fellowship}fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.
For a dream cometh with a multitude of {Or, travail}business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother {Many ancient authorities insert without cause.} shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, {An expression of contempt.}Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, {Or, Moreh, a Hebrew expression of condemnation.}Thou fool, shall be in danger {Greek: unto or into.}of the {Greek: Gehenna of fire.}hell of fire.
Forthwith therefore I sent to thee; and thou hast well done that thou art come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all things that have been commanded thee of the Lord.
idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, {Greek: heresies.}parties,
And as they went out, they besought that these words might be spoken to them the next sabbath.
Now when the synagogue broke up, many of the Jews and of the devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; who, speaking to them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
And the next sabbath almost the whole city was gathered together to hear the word of {Many ancient authorities read the Lord.}God.
envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I {Or, tell you plainly}forewarn you, even as I did {Or, tell you plainly}forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
And as the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of {Many ancient authorities read the Lord.}God: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
{Psalm 4:4.}Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your {Greek: provocation.}wrath:
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice:
And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us {Greek: the word of hearing. Galatians 3:2, 5}the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.
but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth:
And let the peace of Christ {Greek: arbitrate.}rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.