James 2:3

2:3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, ¹  “You sit here in a good place,” ²  and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? ³ 

James 2:5

2:5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁴  Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

James 4:4

4:4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? ⁵  So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy.

James 5:7

Patience in Suffering

5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, ⁶  until the Lord’s return. ⁷  Think of how the farmer waits ⁸  for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient ⁹  for it until it receives the early and late rains.

¹ tn Grk “and you pay attention…and say,” continuing the “if” clauses from v. 2. In the Greek text, vv. 2-4 form one long sentence.

² tn Or “sit here, please.”

³ tn Grk “sit under my footstool.” The words “on the floor” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the modern reader the undesirability of this seating arrangement (so also TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). Another option followed by a number of translations is to replace “under my footstool” with “at my feet” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).

⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

⁷ tn Grk “is hostility toward God.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “brothers”; this phrase occurs again three times in the paragraph. See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

¹¹ tn Or “advent”; or “coming” (also in v. 8).

¹² tn Grk “Behold! The farmer waits.”

¹³ tn Grk “being patient.”