James 1:13

1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted by evil,¹ and he himself tempts no one.

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift² is from above, coming down³ from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change.⁴

James 1:19

Living Out the Message

1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters!⁵ Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.

James 1:23

1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone⁶ who gazes at his own face⁷ in a mirror.

James 1:26

1:26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile.

James 3:4-5

3:4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. 3:5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body,⁸ yet it has great pretensions.⁹ Think¹⁰ how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze.

James 3:17

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating,¹¹ full of mercy and good fruit,¹² impartial, and not hypocritical.¹³

James 4:14

4:14 You¹⁴ do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?¹⁵ For you are a puff of smoke¹⁶ that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

James 5:11

5:11 Think of how we regard¹⁷ as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.¹⁸

James 5:15

5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.¹⁹

James 5:17

5:17 Elijah was a human being²⁰ like us, and he prayed earnestly²¹ that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months!

¹tn Or “God must not be tested by evil people.”

²tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

³tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

⁴tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

³tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

⁴tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

⁵tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”

⁵tn Grk “a small member.”

⁶tn Grk “boasts of great things.”

⁷tn Grk “Behold.”

⁶tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

⁷tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

⁸tn Or “sincere.”

⁷tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

⁸tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”

⁹tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).

⁸tn Grk “Behold! We regard…”

⁹sn An allusion to Exod 34:6; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; 102:13; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2.

⁹tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”

¹⁰tn Although it is certainly true that Elijah was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “human being” because the emphasis in context is not on Elijah’s masculine gender, but on the common humanity he shared with the author and the readers.

¹¹tn Grk “he prayed with prayer” (using a Hebrew idiom to show intensity).