| Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. | 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. |
| Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. | Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. |
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| If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. | If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. |
| But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. | But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. |
| Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. | Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. |
| Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. | 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. |
| Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. | 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. |
| Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | 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. |
| Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. | You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. |
| Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. | 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. |
| But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. | But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. |
| But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. | 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. |
| If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. | If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. |
| Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. | 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. |
| Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. | So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. |
| Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. | You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. |
| For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. | For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. |
| Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. | From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. |
| Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. | Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. |
| For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. | For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. |
| But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. | But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. |
| And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. | And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. |
| Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. | You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. |
| Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. | Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. |
| Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. | Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
