James 1:15-27

1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 1:16 Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹  1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ²  is from above, coming down ³  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ⁴  1:18 By his sovereign plan he gave us birth ⁵  through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Living Out the Message

1:19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! ⁶  Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. 1:20 For human ⁷  anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ⁸  1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ⁹  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls. 1:22 But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves. 1:23 For if someone merely listens to the message and does not live it out, he is like someone ¹⁰  who gazes at his own face ¹¹  in a mirror. 1:24 For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets ¹²  what sort of person he was. 1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, ¹³  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he ¹⁴  will be blessed in what he does. ¹⁵  1:26 If someone thinks he is religious yet does not bridle his tongue, and so deceives his heart, his religion is futile. 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before ¹⁶  God the Father ¹⁷  is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

[1:16]  ¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[1:17]  ² tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ³ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[1:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “Having willed, he gave us birth.”

[1:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[1:20]  ⁷ tn The word translated “human” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person” (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2), and in this context, contrasted with “God’s righteousness,” the point is “human” anger (not exclusively “male” anger).

[1:20]  ⁸ sn God’s righteousness could refer to (1) God’s righteous standard, (2) the righteousness God gives, (3) righteousness before God, or (4) God’s eschatological righteousness (see P. H. Davids, James [NIGTC], 93, for discussion).

[1:21]  ⁹ tn Or “with meekness.”

[1:23]  ¹⁰ tn 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.”

[1:23]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the face of his beginning [or origin].”

[1:24]  ¹² tn Grk “and he has gone out and immediately has forgotten.”

[1:25]  ¹³ tn Grk “continues.”

[1:25]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “in his doing.”

[1:27]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in the sight of”; Grk “with.”

[1:27]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the God and Father.”