| 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 good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. |
| Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. | Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. |
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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 lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to 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 when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown 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. | Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. |
| 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 the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person 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. | When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. |
| Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. | He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. |
| Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. | My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. |
| Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. | Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. |
| But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. | Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. |
| 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 whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. |
| 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. | Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and 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 God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. |
| Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. | In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
| Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. | You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—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. | We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. |
| Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. | Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. |
| 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? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. |
| For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. | For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. |
| 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 that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. |
| And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. | Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. |
| 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 desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. |
| 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. | You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses 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, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. |
