Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

THE GENERAL EPISTLES.

THE EPISTLE OF JAMES.

CHAP. I.

1 JAMES, a servant of God nd of the Lord Jesus Christ, o the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

the herb he will pass away. 11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, than it withereth the herb, and its flower falleth, and the beauty of its appearance perisheth: so also the rich man will be blasted in his pursuits.

2 My brethren, count it all oy when ye fall into various rials; 3 knowing that the proof of your faith worketh patience. And let patience have its perfect work: that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting no-ceive the crown of life, which ching.

5 Now if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea, moved by the wind and tossed about. 7 Let not therefore that man think he will receive any thing from the Lord: 8 he is a man of a divided mind, unsteady in all his ways.

9 Now let the brother of low degree boast in his exaltation; 10 but the rich, in his depression for as the flower of

12 Happy is the man who endureth trial: for, when he hath been proved, he will re

[the Lord hath promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say, when he is tempted, "I am tempted of God:" for God cannot be tempted by evils, nor doth he tempt any one. 14 But every one is tempted, when he is ensnared and allured by his own evil desire: 15 but when desire hath conceived, it beareth sin and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift, and every perfect benefit, is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness,

1

nor shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will he regenerated us by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of his

creatures.

19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger 20 for the anger of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

21 Wherefore lay aside all defilement, and abundance of wickedness, and receive with meekness the word implanted in you, which is able to save your souls.

22 BUT be ye doers of the word; and not hearers only, deceiving your own-selves. 23 For if any one be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and immediately forgeteth what manner of man he

was.

not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come into your assembly a man with a gold ring in gorgeous apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile apparel; 3 and ye regard him who weareth the gorgeous apparel, and say, "Sit thou there in a good place;" and say to the poor man, Stand thou there," or, "Sit [here] under my footstool;" 4 do ye not [thus] make distinctions among yourselves, and form your judgments from evil reasonings?

[ocr errors]

5 Hearken, my beloved brethren: hath not God chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to i those who love him? 6 But ye have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-seats? 7 Do not they blaspheme that honourable name by which ye are called?

1

25 But whoever looketh into the perfect law of liberty and 8 Now if ye fulfil the royal continueth in it, [he,] being not law according to the scripture, a forgetful hearer, but a doer" Thou shalt love thy neighof the work commanded, will be bour as thyself," ye do well: 9 happy in his deed. but if ye have, respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of showing disrespect to all.

26 If any one seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27 The religion which is pure and undefiled before our God and Father, is this; to take care of orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep" Do not commit murder." one's-self unspotted from the Now if thou commit no adulworld. tery, and yet commit murder, thou becomest a transgressor of

CH. II. 1 My brethren, hold

11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," said also,

the law. 12 So speak ye, and, and it was counted to him for so act ye, who are about to be righteousness:" and he was caljudged by the law of liberty. 13 led the Friend of God? 24 Do For he shall have judgment without mercy, who hath shown no mercy: but mercy will exult over judgment, to those who have shown mercy.

14 WHAT doth it profit, my brethren, if any one say that he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 [Now] if a brother or sister be naked, or destitute of daily food; 16 and one of you should say to them; 66 Depart in peace, be ye warmed, and be ye filled;" but ye give them not those things which are necessary for the body; what doth it profit? 17 Thus faith also, if it have not works, is of itself dead. 18 Yea, any one may say, "Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without [thy] works, and I will show thee [my] faith by my works."

19 Thou believest that God is one: thou dost well: the demons* also believe, and tremble. 20 But art thou willing to know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not our father Abraham justified from works, when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 Dost thou see that faith wrought jointly with his works? and that faith was made perfect from works? 23 and that the scripture was fulfilled which saith, “Abraham believed God,

ye see that a man is justified from works, and not from faith only? 25 In like manner was not Rahab the harlot also justified from works, when she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without breath is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

CH. III. 1 My brethren, be not many teachers; knowing that we shall receive a greatér condemnation. 2 For in many things we all offend: if any offend not in word, he is a perfect man, and able to bridle also the whole body. 3 Behold, we put bits in the mouths of horses, that they may obey us: and we turn about their whole body.

4 Behold ships also, which are so great, and are driven by fierce winds, yet are turned about by a very small helm, whithersoever the pilot chooseth. 5 Thus the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a pile doth a little fire kindle! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: [80] is the tongue among our members, it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheels of nature; and is itself set on fire from gehenna.

7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of creeping

* human ghosts :-"Mr. Farmer supposes an allusion to Job. xxvi. 5, which he renders "the giants, or the ghosts of the dead, tremble under the waters together with their host." He adds, that St. James doth not appear to be delivering any new doctrine concerning demons, but ra ther to be arguing with the persons to whom he writes it, on their own principles. Farmer on demoniacs, p. 211-216. 1st edition." Im. Ver. note.

your members? 2 Ye desire, and have not: ye kill, and earnestly covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and contend; yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not; because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it on your pleasures. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteres

things, and of things in the sea, are subdued, and hath been subdued, by mankind. 8 But the tongue no one can subdue: it is an evil not to be restrained, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith we bless our God and Father; and therewith we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. 10 Out of theses, know ye not that the friendsame mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a spring send forth out of the same place sweet and bitter water? 12 Can a fig-tree, my brethren, bear olives? or a vine, figs? [S] neither can that spring which is salt yield sweet

water.

13 Who is wise and knowing among you? Let him show by his works a good behaviour, in meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, boast not yourselves, and speak not falsely concerning the truth. 15 This wisdom cometh not down from above; but is earthly, sensual, inspired by demons. 16 For where envy and strife are, there is disturbance, and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom which is from above, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and of good fruits, without partiality, [and] without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

CH. IV. 1 WHENCE come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, from your desires of pleasure which war in

ship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend to the world, is an enemy of God.

5 Do ye think that the scrip ture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which dwelleth in us stir up to envy? 6 Nay, it be stoweth more abundant favour. Wherefore it is said, “God resisteth the proud, but be stoweth favour on the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God: resist the impostor, and he will flee from you: 8 draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye men of divided minds: 9 be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness: 10 humble yourselves in the sight of [the] Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Brethren, speak not evil one of another. He who speaketh evil of his brother, and condemneth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and condemneth the law but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. 12 There is one law-giver and judge, who is able to save and to des

troy. Who art thou that judgest another?

13 COME now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow let us go into such a city, and continue there a year, and traffic, and acquire gain:" 14 ye who know not what will be on the morrow. (For what is your life? It is even a vapour, which appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.) 15 Whereas ye ought to say, "If the Lord will, and we live, then let us do this, or that." 16 But now ye glory in your boasting words: all such glorying is evil. 17 To him therefore it is sin, who knoweth how to do what is right, and doth it not.

CH. V. 1 COME now, ye rich men, weep and lament for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your store is corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver is rusted; and the rust of them will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire: ye have heaped up treasure in the last days.

4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped your fields, which is unjustly kept back by you, crieth against you: and the cries of the reapers have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5 Ye have lived delicately on the earth, and have rioted in pleasure; ye have nourished your hearts, as it were in the day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned, ye have killed the Righteous One, who did not resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, until the appearance of the Lord. Behold, the husbandmar waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and is patient for it, until it receive the early and the latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; establish your hearts; for the appearance of the Lord draweth near. 9 Murmur not against each other, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10 My brethren, take the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11 Behold, we pronounce those happy who endure patiently. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; for [the Lord] is of tender mercy, and full of compassion.

12 BUT above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath but let your yes be yes; and your no, no; lest ye fall under condemnation.

13 Dотн anу among you suffer affliction? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise to God. 14 Is any sick among you? Let him call to him the elders of the church; and, when they have anointed him with oil, let them pray over him in the name of the Lord: 15 and the prayer of faith will preserve the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; and although he have committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »