1 Kom nou, julle rykes, ween en huil oor die ellendes wat oor julle kom.

2 Julle rykdom is bedorwe, en julle klere is deur die motte verniel.

3 Julle goud en silwer is verroes, en hulle roes sal tot 'n getuienis teen julle wees en sal soos 'n vuur julle vlees verteer. Julle het skatte vergader in die laaste dae.

4 Kyk, die loon van die arbeiders wat julle lande afgeoes het, wat deur julle agtergehou is, roep uit; en die geroep van die maaiers het gekom tot in die ore van die Here van die leërskare.

5 Julle het op die aarde 'n weelderige en losbandige lewe gelei; julle het jul harte vet gevoer soos op 'n slagdag.

6 Veroordeel, vermoor het julle die regverdige; hy versit hom nie teen julle nie.

7 Wees dan geduldig, broeders, tot op die wederkoms van die Here. Kyk, die landbouer wag op die kostelike vrug van die aarde en het geduld daarmee totdat dit die vroeë en die laat reën ontvang het.

8 Julle moet ook geduldig wees; versterk julle harte, want die wederkoms van die Here is naby.

9 Moenie teen mekaar sug nie, broeders, sodat julle nie veroordeel word nie. Kyk, die Regter staan voor die deur.

10 Neem as voorbeeld van lyding, my broeders, en van geduld die profete wat in die Naam van die Here gespreek het.

11 Kyk, ons reken hulle geluksalig wat verdra. Julle het gehoor van die lydsaamheid van Job, en julle het die einddoel van die Here met hom gesien, dat die Here vol medelye en ontferming is.

12 Maar bo alles, my broeders, moenie sweer nie: nie by die hemel nie, ook nie by die aarde nie en ook geen ander eed nie; maar laat julle ja ja wees en julle nee nee, sodat julle nie onder 'n oordeel val nie.

13 Is daar iemand onder julle wat ly? Laat hom bid. Is iemand opgeruimd? Laat hom psalmsing.

14 Is daar iemand siek onder julle? Laat hom die ouderlinge van die gemeente inroep, en laat hulle oor hom bid nadat hulle hom in die Naam van die Here met olie gesalf het.

15 En die gebed van die geloof sal die kranke red, en die Here sal hom oprig. Selfs as hy sonde gedoen het, sal dit hom vergewe word.

16 Bely mekaar julle misdade en bid vir mekaar, sodat julle gesond kan word. Die vurige gebed van 'n regverdige het groot krag.

17 El¡a was 'n mens net soos ons, en hy het ernstig gebid dat dit nie moes reën nie, en dit het op die aarde drie jaar en ses maande lank nie gereën nie;

18 en hy het weer gebid, en die hemel het reën gegee en die aarde het sy vrug laat uitspruit.

19 Broeders, as een onder julle van die waarheid afgedwaal het en iemand hom bekeer,

20 laat hy weet dat die een wat 'n sondaar van sy dwaalweg bekeer, 'n siel uit die dood sal red en 'n menigte sondes sal bedek.

1 Come now, you men of wealth, give yourselves to weeping and crying because of the bitter troubles which are coming to you.

2 Your wealth is unclean and insects have made holes in your clothing.

3 Your gold and your silver are wasted and their waste will be a witness against you, burning into your flesh. You have put by your store in the last days.

4 See, the money which you falsely kept back from the workers cutting the grass in your field, is crying out against you; and the cries of those who took in your grain have come to the ears of the Lord of armies.

5 You have been living delicately on earth and have taken your pleasure; you have made your hearts fat for a day of destruction.

6 You have given your decision against the upright man and have put him to death. He puts up no fight against you.

7 Go on waiting calmly, my brothers, till the coming of the Lord, like the farmer waiting for the good fruit of the earth till the early and late rains have come.

8 Be as calm in your waiting; let your hearts be strong: because the coming of the Lord is near.

9 Say no hard things against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged; see, the judge is waiting at the doors.

10 Take as an example of pain nobly undergone and of strength in trouble, the prophets who gave to men the words of the Lord.

11 We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.

12 But most of all, my brothers, do not take oaths, not by the heaven, or by the earth, or by any other thing: but let your Yes be Yes, and your No be No: so that you may not be judged.

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise.

14 Is anyone among you ill? let him send for the rulers of the church; and let them say prayers over him, putting oil on him in the name of the Lord.

15 And by the prayer of faith the man who is ill will be made well, and he will be lifted up by the Lord, and for any sin which he has done he will have forgiveness.

16 So then, make a statement of your sins to one another, and say prayers for one another so that you may be made well. The prayer of a good man is full of power in its working.

17 Elijah was a man of flesh and blood as we are, and he made a strong prayer that there might be no rain; and there was no rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he made another prayer, and the heaven sent down rain and the earth gave her fruit.

19 My brothers, if one of you has gone out of the way of the true faith and another has made him see his error,

20 Be certain that he through whom a sinner has been turned from the error of his way, keeps a soul from death and is the cause of forgiveness for sins without number.