| Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow. | 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 that the testing of your faith produces endurance. | Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. |
|
| But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to 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, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by 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 in humble circumstances glory in his high position; and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will 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 a person who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord promised to those who 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 by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. | 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 he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits 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. |
| So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. | My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. |
| Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted 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 doers of the word, and not only hearers, deluding your own selves. | Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. |
| But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does. | 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 anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless. | 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 our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by 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 has no works, is dead in itself. | In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
| You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder. | You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. |
| For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. | 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 comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. | Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. |
| Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness 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 jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. | 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 peaceful, gentle, reasonable, 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. |
| Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. | Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. |
| You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. | 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. |
| You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an 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. |
| Be subject 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. |
