Grieve, mourn, ¹  and weep. Turn your laughter ²  into mourning and your joy into despair.

But you have dishonored the poor! ¹  Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?

My brothers and sisters, ¹  consider it nothing but joy ²  when you fall into all sorts of trials,

For if someone ¹  comes into your assembly ²  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. ¹ 

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town ¹  and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”

But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, ¹  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he ²  will be blessed in what he does. ³ 

And above all, my brothers and sisters, ¹  do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

But be sure you live out the message and do not merely listen to it and so deceive yourselves.

My brothers and sisters, ¹  do not show prejudice ²  if you possess faith ³  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ 

But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. ¹ 

With it we bless the Lord ¹  and Father, and with it we curse people ²  made in God’s image.

My brothers and sisters, ¹  if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,

So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ¹  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” ¹  and he was called God’s friend. ² 

And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, ¹  “The spirit that God ²  caused ³  to live within us has an envious yearning”? ⁴ 

And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents ¹  the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It ²  pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. ³ 

You ¹  do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? ²  For you are a puff of smoke ³  that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure! ¹