ESV 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. MSG 1 I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! ESV 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, MSG 2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. ESV 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. MSG 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. ESV 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. MSG 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. ESV 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. MSG 5 If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. ESV 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. MSG 6 Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. ESV 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; MSG 7 Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, ESV 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. MSG 8 adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. ESV 9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, MSG 9 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! ESV 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. MSG 10 And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. ESV 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits. MSG 11 You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. ESV 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. MSG 12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. ESV 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. MSG 13 Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way. ESV 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. MSG 14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. ESV 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. MSG 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. ESV 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. MSG 16 So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. ESV 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. MSG 17 Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. ESV 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. MSG 18 He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. ESV 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; MSG 19 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. ESV 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. MSG 20 God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. ESV 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. MSG 21 So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. ESV 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. MSG 22 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! ESV 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. MSG 23 Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, ESV 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. MSG 24 walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. ESV 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. MSG 25 But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God - the free life! - even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. ESV 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. MSG 26 Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. ESV 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. MSG 27 Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
MSG 1 I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello! MSG 2 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. MSG 3 You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. MSG 4 So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. MSG 5 If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. MSG 6 Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. MSG 7 Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, MSG 8 adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. MSG 9 When down-and-outers get a break, cheer! MSG 10 And when the arrogant rich are brought down to size, cheer! Prosperity is as short-lived as a wildflower, so don't ever count on it. MSG 11 You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. MSG 12 Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. MSG 13 Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way. MSG 14 The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. MSG 15 Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer. MSG 16 So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. MSG 17 Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. MSG 18 He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures. MSG 19 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. MSG 20 God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. MSG 21 So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. MSG 22 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! MSG 23 Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, MSG 24 walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like. MSG 25 But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God - the free life! - even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. MSG 26 Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. MSG 27 Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.