1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion, greeting.

2 Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; 3 knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience. 4 And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

5 But if any of you lacketh 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 the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

9 But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate: 10 and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. 11 For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings.

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him. 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. 16 Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

19 Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror: 24 for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. 26 If any man thinketh himself to be religious, while he bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

1 Jakoobus, Jumala ja Issanda Jeesuse Kristuse sulane, saadab tervisi hajuvil asuvaile kaheteistkümnele suguharule.

2 Pidage lausa rõõmuks, mu vennad, kui te satute mitmesugustesse kiusatustesse,

3 ja teadke, et teie usu katsumine saadab kannatlikkust!

4 Ent kannatlikkus omagu täiuslikku tegu, et te oleksite täiuslikud ja laitmatud ega oleks teil mingit puudust.

5 Aga kui kellelgi teist on puudu tarkusest, see palugu Jumalalt, Kes kõigile annab suisa ega tee etteheiteid, ja siis antakse temale.

6 Ent ta palugu usus, ilma kahtlemata; sest kes kahtleb, sarnaneks merelainele, mida tuul tõstab ning sinna ja tänna peksab.

7 Niisugune inimene ärgu ometi arvaku, et ta midagi saab Issandalt;

8 ta on kaksipidise meelega mees, ebakindel kõigil oma teedel.

9 Ent madal vend kiidelgu oma suurusest,

10 aga rikas oma madalusest, sest ta kaob nagu rohu õieke.

11 Sest päike tõusis palavaga ja kuivatas rohu ära, ja selle õieke varises maha ning tema näo ilu hävis. Nõnda närtsib ka rikas oma retkedel!

12 Õnnis see mees, kes ära kannatab kiusatuse; sest kui ta on läbi katsutud, saab ta elukrooni, mille Issand on tõotanud neile, kes Teda armastavad.

13 Ärgu ükski kiusatuses olles öelgu: „Mind kiusab Jumal!" Sest Jumalat ei kiusata kurjaga ja Tema Ise ei kiusa kedagi.

14 Aga igaüht kiusatakse, kui tema enese himu teda veab ning ahvatleb;

15 pärast, kui himu on rasestunud, toob ta patu ilmale, aga kui patt on täiesti tehtud, sünnitab ta surma.

16 Ärge eksige, mu armsad vennad!

17 Kõik hea and ja kõik täiuslik annetus on ülalt ja tuleb valguse Isalt, Kelle juures ei ole muutust ega varjutuste varju.

18 Tema on meid Oma tahtel sünnitanud tõe sõnaga, et oleksime Tema loodute esmasündinute hulgast.

19 Teie teate seda, mu armsad vennad. Olgu vaid iga inimene nobe kuulma, pikaline rääkima, pikaline vihale.

20 Sest mehe viha ei tekita õigust Jumala ees.

21 Sellepärast heitke ära kõik rüvedus ja viimnegi paha ning võtke tasase meelega vastu sõna, mis teisse istutati ja võib teie hinged päästa!

22 Aga olge sõna tegijad ja mitte ükspäinis kuuljad, iseendid pettes.

23 Sest kui keegi on sõna kuulja ja mitte tegija, siis on ta mehe sarnane, kes vaatab oma ihulikku palet peeglis.

24 Ta vaatas ennast, läks minema ja unustas varsti, missugune ta oli.

25 Aga kes vabaduse täiusliku käsu sisse kummardades on vaadanud ja jääb selle juurde, ei ole unustav kuulja, vaid on teo tegija; see on õnnis oma tegemises.

26 Kui keegi arvab Jumalat teenivat ja ei talitse oma keelt, vaid petab oma südant, selle jumalateenistus on tühine.

27 Puhas ja laitmatu jumalateenistus Jumala ja Isa ees on see: vaestelaste ja lesknaiste eest hoolitseda nende viletsuses ja hoida ennast maailmast reostamatuna.