New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
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James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends words of love to the twelve tribes of the Jews living in all parts of the earth.
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy,
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Let it be all joy to you, my brothers, when you undergo tests of every sort;
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance;
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Because you have the knowledge that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope;
4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
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But let this power have its full effect, so that you may be made complete, needing nothing.
5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.
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But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.
6 But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind;
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Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind.
7 8 for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
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Let it not seem to such a man that he will get anything from the Lord;
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For there is a division in his mind, and he is uncertain in all his ways.
9 Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up,
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But let the brother of low position be glad that he is lifted up;
10 and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field.
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But the man of wealth, that he is made low; because like the flower of the grass he will come to his end.
11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same way with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.
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For when the sun comes up with its burning heat, the grass gets dry and the grace of its form is gone with the falling flower; so the man of wealth comes to nothing in his ways.
12 Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
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There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God's approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him.
13 No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one.
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Let no man say when he is tested, I am tested by God; for it is not possible for God to be tested by evil, and he himself puts no man to such a test:
14 But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it;
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But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.
15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.
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Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved.
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Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
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Every good and true thing is given to us from heaven, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or any shade made by turning.
18 In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
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Of his purpose he gave us being, by his true word, so that we might be, in a sense, the first-fruits of all the things which he had made.
19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
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You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;
20 for your anger does not produce God's righteousness.
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For the righteousness of God does not come about by the wrath of man.
21 Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
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For this reason, putting away all dirty behaviour and the overweight of evil, take into your souls without pride the word which, being planted there, is able to give you salvation.
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.
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But be doers of the word, and not only hearers of it, blinding yourselves with false ideas.
23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
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Because if any man is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a glass;
24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
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For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.
25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
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But he who goes on looking into the true law which makes him free, being not a hearer without memory but a doer putting it into effect, this man will have a blessing on his acts.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.
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If a man seems to have religion and has no control over his tongue but lets himself be tricked by what is false, this man's religion is of no value.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
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The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.