en_t4t/60-JAS.usfm

\id JAS - Translation 4 Translators 1
\ide 65001 - Unicode (UTF-8)
\h JAMES
\toc1 James
\toc2 James
\toc3 Jas
\mt2 James, the brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to Jewish believers. We call this letter
\mt1 James
\c 1
\s1 James 1:1
\s1 I, James, am writing this letter to Jewish people who trust in the Lord Jesus who are scattered throughout the world. Greetings!
\p
\v 1 \add I\add*, James, am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. \add I am writing this letter\add* to  \add all\add* the Jewish people  \add who trust in Christ\add* (OR, to all God's people) who are scattered throughout the world. \add I send my\add* greetings to  \add you all\add*.
\s1 When you experience difficulties that test whether or not you will continue to trust God, rejoice greatly and keep on bravely enduring them in order that you may become all that God intends you to be.
\sr James 1:2-4
\p
\v 2 My fellow believers, rejoice greatly, \add even\add* when you experience various kinds of difficulties/troubles.
\v 3 \add God sometimes allows you to experience difficulties in order to\add* test whether or not you will continue to trust  \add him. Whenever that happens, you need to\add* realize more and more that  \add if you continue to trust him\add*, you will be able to bravely/patiently endure difficulties.
\v 4 Keep on enduring difficulties  \add bravely/patiently by trusting God more and more firmly\add* [PRS], in order that you may become all that he intends you to be [DOU] (OR, \add spiritually\add* mature and complete), not lacking ◄any  \add good quality/anything you need to conduct your lives as God wants you to\add*►.
\s1 If you want to have wisdom to know what to do when difficulties come, ask God to help you, and firmly trust him.
\sr James 1:5-8
\p
\v 5 If anyone of you does not know how to act wisely  \add in order to endure difficulties/trials well\add*, he should ask God  \add to show him what he should do, because\add* God wholeheartedly/gladly helps all people  \add who ask\add* and does not scold  \add anyone for asking. Those who ask\add*, God will give them wisdom to know  \add what they should do\add*.
\v 6 But  \add when you\add* ask  \add God\add*, you should firmly trust him. You should not doubt  \add that he wants to help you always\add*, because people who keep doubting God are  \add unstable/changeable\add* [SIM] like a wave of the sea that is blown back and forth by the wind {that goes back and forth when the wind blows} [DOU, SIM].
\v 7 Indeed, people  \add who doubt\add* should not think that the Lord  \add God\add* will do anything  \add that they request him to do\add*, 
\v 8 \add because they are\add* people who cannot decide  \add whether they will commit themselves to God, and they are\add* unstable/undecided in all that they do.
\s1 Believers who are poor and those who are rich should both value highly what God has done for them, rather than focusing on their material resources that will disappear.
\sr James 1:9-11
\p
\v 9 Believers who are poor should be happy  \add that God\add* considers them very valuable (OR, has exalted them  \add spiritually\add*) [MTY].
\v 10 And  \add believers\add* who are rich should be happy  \add that\add* they have humbled themselves  \add in order to trust in Jesus Christ\add* (OR, but rich people  \add can only\add* take pride  \add in the fact that God\add* will humble them  \add when he judges everyone\add* [IRO]), because they  \add and their riches\add* [MTY] will pass away, just like wild flowers  \add wither\add* [SIM].
\v 11 When the sun rises, the scorching hot wind dries plants, and their flowers fall and are no longer beautiful. Similarly, rich people will die [MET] while they are busy working, \add leaving behind their riches\add*.
\s1 God blesses those who bravely endure difficulties; he will reward them by causing them to live eternally.
\sr James 1:12
\p
\v 12 \add God\add* is pleased with the people who bravely/patiently endure difficulties. And when, \add by bravely enduring difficulties\add*, they have proved  \add that they truly trust him\add*, he will give them  \add eternal\add* life. That is the reward [MET] that he has promised to give to those who love him.
\s1 If people are tempted to do evil, they should not think that it is God who is tempting them. It is their own evil desires that are tempting them to do evil.
\sr James 1:13-15
\p
\v 13 If people are tempted to do what is evil, they should not think that it is God who is tempting them, because  \add God is totally/completely good\add*. He never tempts anyone  \add to do what is evil\add*, nor can he ever be tempted to  \add do anything\add* evil.
\v 14 But people strongly desire to do what is evil [PRS], \add and as a result\add* they are stimulated by those desires {those desires stimulate them} to want to do what is evil [PRS, DOU].
\v 15 Then, \add because\add* they have desired [MET] to do what is evil [PRS], they begin to [MET] do [PRS] it. And when they have become ones who  \add habitually\add* do what is evil [MET], \add if they do not turn away from their sinful behavior\add*, they will be separated from God forever.
\s1 Stop thinking wrongly that God tempts you to do evil, because God does only good for us.
\sr James 1:16-18
\p
\v 16 My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves, \add thinking that God does what is evil\add*.
\v 17 \add The truth is that God\add*, our heavenly Father [MTY], does only what is good [DOU] \add for us, in order to help us become\add* all that he intends us to be. He is not like all the things  \add in the sky\add* that he created to give light, \add  because they\add* change; \add  that is, they do not shine the same all the time\add*. But God never changes. \add He is always good\add*.
\v 18 \add And because\add* he wanted  \add to help us\add*, he gave us  \add spiritual\add* life as a result of our  \add trusting in his\add* true message. So now we have become the first ones of  \add all the people\add* [MET] that he created  \add to\add* ◄\add be totally dedicated to/completely belong to\add*► \add him\add*.
\s1 Every one of you should eagerly pay attention to God's message and should not speak hastily or be quick to get angry.
\sr James 1:19-20
\p
\v 19 My fellow believers whom I love, you know (OR, I want you to now) that every one of you should be eager to pay attention to  \add God's true message\add*. You should not hastily speak  \add your own thoughts\add*, nor be quick to get angry,
\v 20 because when any one  \add of you gets\add* angry, you will not be doing the righteous things that God  \add wants\add* you  \add to do\add*.
\s1 So stop doing all kinds of evil, and do what God commands in his message, instead of just listening to it. God approves of those who do what he wants them to do.
\sr James 1:21-25
\p
\v 21 So stop doing all kinds of evil [DOU], and humbly accept (OR, submit to) the message that  \add God\add* planted in your ◄inner beings/hearts►, \add because\add* he is able to save you [SYN] \add if you accept his message\add*.
\v 22 Do  \add what God commands in\add* his message. Do not only listen  \add to it, because people who only listen to it and do not obey it\add* think wrongly  \add that God will save them\add*.
\v 23 Some people hear God's message but do not do  \add what it says\add* [MET]. They are like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [SIM].
\v 24 Although he looks at himself, he goes away  \add from the mirror\add* and immediately forgets what he looks like.
\v 25 But other people look closely at  \add God's\add* message, which is perfect and which sets people free  \add to voluntarily do what God wants them to do\add*. And if they continue  \add to examine God's message\add* and do not just hear it and then forget it, but do  \add what God tells them to do\add*, God will bless them because of what they do.
\s1 Those who show compassion on people in need and who do not think or act immorally are those who truly worship God and receive his approval.
\sr James 1:26-27
\p
\v 26 Some people think that they worship God rightly, but they habitually speak evil talk [MTY]. Those people are wrong in thinking [SYN] \add that they worship God rightly\add*. The fact is  \add that they\add* worship God ◄in vain/uselessly►.
\v 27 \add One of the things that God has told us to do\add* is to take care of orphans and widows who suffer hardship. \add Those who do that and\add* who do not think or act immorally like those who do not obey God [MTY] truly [DOU] worship God, \add who is our\add* Father, and God approves of them.
\c 2
\s1 Stop honoring some people more than others, because by doing that, you are disobeying God's law that we should love one another.
\sr James 2:1-11
\p
\v 1 My fellow believers, \add because\add* you trust our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is glorious/wonderful, stop honoring some people more than others.
\v 2 \add For example\add*, suppose that a person who wears gold rings and fine clothes enters your meeting place. Then suppose that a poor person who wears shabby/ragged clothes also comes in.
\v 3 And \add suppose\add* that you ◄show special attention to/treat better► the one who is dressed in fine clothes by saying, “Sit here in this good seat!” and you say to the poor one, “Stand there or sit on the floor [MTY]!”
\v 4 Then you have obviously [RHQ] caused divisions in the congregation (OR, you are clearly treating one better than the others, and you are using evil \add motives/reasons\add* to ◄\add evaluate people/decide whether people are important or not\add*►).
\v 5 Listen \add to me\add*, my fellow believers whom I love. God has chosen [RHQ] poor people whom \add unbelievers consider to\add* possess nothing of value, \add in order that he might bless them\add* abundantly \add because\add* they trust \add in him\add*, and in order that they will enter the place where \add he\add* will rule [MET] \add forever\add*. That is what he has promised to those who love him.
\v 6 But you dishonor the poor people. Think about it! ◄It is the rich people, \add not the poor people\add*, who are causing you to suffer!/Isn't it the rich people, \add not the poor people\add*, who are oppressing you?► [RHQ] ◄It is \add the rich people\add* who forcibly take you to court \add to accuse you in front of judges\add*!/Is it not \add the rich people\add* who forcibly take you to court \add to accuse you in front of judges\add*?► [RHQ]
\v 7 ◄And they are the ones who speak evil against Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy \add of praise\add*, to whom you belong!/Are they not the ones who speak evil against Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy \add of praise\add*, to whom you belong?► [RHQ]
\v 8 \add God has commanded you\add* in the Scriptures that each of you must love other people like you love yourself. That commandment was \add also given\add* by \add Jesus our\add* King [MTY]. If you \add are loving others\add*, you are doing what is right.
\v 9 But if you honor some people more than others, you are ◄doing wrong/sinning►. And because you \add do not do what God commanded us to do\add*, he condemns you [PRS] because you disobey his laws.
\p
\v 10 Do not forget that those who disobey only one of God's laws, even if they obey all \add his other\add* laws, \add God considers them\add* to be \add as guilty as anyone who has disobeyed\add* all \add of\add* God's \add laws\add*.
\v 11 For example, \add God\add* said, “Do not commit adultery,” but he also said, “Do not murder anyone.” \add So\add* if you \add (sg)\add* do not commit adultery but you \add (sg)\add* murder someone, you \add (sg)\add* have become a person who disobeys \add God's\add* laws.
\s1 Continually act mercifully toward others, because God will not act mercifully to those who do not act mercifully toward others.
\sr James 2:12-13
\p
\v 12 Continually speak and act \add toward others\add* as people should who will be judged {whom \add God\add* will judge} by the law that frees us \add from being punished\add* {\add God punishing us\add*} \add for our sins\add*.
\v 13 \add Speak and act like that\add*, because when \add God\add* judges us, he will not act mercifully toward those who do not act mercifully toward others. But when we \add are\add* merciful \add to others, we can rejoice\add*, because \add our being\add* merciful \add shows\add* that \add we are acting like people whom God\add* has mercifully saved from being judged (OR, \add we can rejoice\add* because \add God\add* will judge us mercifully).
\s1 Anyone who says that he trusts in Jesus Christ but does not act compassionately toward others is not truly trusting in Jesus.
\sr James 2:14-17
\p
\v 14 My fellow believers, \add there are some people who say\add*, “I believe \add in the Lord Jesus Christ\add*,” but they do not do good deeds \add to other people\add*. ◄Their saying that will certainly not do them any good!/What good will their saying that do for them?► [RHQ] ◄\add God\add* will certainly not save \add people like that who say that they believe, but do not do good deeds\add*!/Will God save \add people like that who say that they believe, but do not do good deeds\add*?► [RHQ]
\v 15 \add To illustrate\add*, suppose that fellow believers, either men or women, are continually lacking clothing or lacking food for each day.
\v 16 And suppose that one of you says to them, “May \add God\add* bless you and supply the clothing and food that you need!” but you \add (sg)\add* do not give them the things that they need. ◄That would be no help \add to them\add*!/What help is that \add to them\add*?► [RHQ]
\v 17 Similarly, \add those who do\add* not do good deeds \add to help others, what they have said about\add* their believing \add in Christ\add* is \add as useless\add* [MET] \add as\add* a dead person \add is useless\add* They do not \add really believe in Christ\add*.
\s1 But someone may claim that some people are saved because they trust in God and other people are saved because they do good to others. In answer to that, the inadequacy of faith without good deeds is demonstrated by the example of demons. From the examples of Abraham and Rahab we can see that only by obeying God and doing good to others can people prove that they truly trust in God.
\sr James 2:18-26
\p
\v 18 But someone may say \add to me\add*, “\add God saves\add* some people only \add because\add* they trust \add in him\add*, and \add he saves\add* others \add because\add* they do good deeds \add to people\add*.” \add I would answer that person\add*, “\add You(sg) cannot\add* prove to me that people truly trust \add in God if\add* they do not do good deeds \add to others\add* But by doing good deeds \add to others\add* I will prove to you that I truly trust \add in God”\add*
\v 19 \add Think about it \add* You believe that there is only one God, and you are right \add to believe that\add*. But the demons also believe that, but they tremble \add because they know that God is going to punish them\add*.
\v 20 Also, you foolish person, I will [RHQ] prove to you \add (sg)\add* that \add if someone says\add*, “I trust \add in God\add*,” but he does not do good deeds, \add what that person says\add* will not benefit him.
\v 21 ◄It was certainly \add because of\add* what our \add revered\add* ancestor Abraham did, when he \add prepared to\add* sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered \add by God\add* {that \add God\add* considered him} to be a righteous, \add obedient\add* person./Was it not \add because of\add* what our \add revered\add* ancestor Abraham did, when he \add prepared to\add* sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered \add by God\add* {that \add God\add* considered him} to be a righteous, \add obedient\add* person?► [RHQ]
\v 22 You \add (sg)\add* can realize that he was not only trusting \add in God\add*, but he was also doing \add what God told him to do\add*, and \add you(sg) can realize\add* that he was able to trust \add in God more\add* completely because of having done \add what God told him to do\add*.
\v 23 And \add so it happened as it is written in the\add* Scriptures: “Because Abraham truly trusted in God, he was considered \add by God\add* to be {\add God\add* considered that he was} righteous.” And \add God also\add* said \add about Abraham\add*, “He is my friend.”
\v 24 \add From the example of Abraham\add*, you can realize that it is because people do good deeds that \add God\add* considers them to be righteous, and not only because they trust \add in him\add*.
\v 25 Similarly, it was certainly [RHQ] \add because of\add* what Rahab did, that \add God\add* considered her to be a righteous, \add obedient\add* person. Rahab was \add previously\add* a prostitute, but she cared for the Israelite men who came \add to\add* ◄\add spy out the land/see what that area was like\add*► and she \add helped them to escape by\add* sending them home on a different road \add from the one that they came on\add*.
\p
\v 26 Remember that when our spirits \add permanently leave our\add* bodies, \add our bodies\add* are dead \add and useless\add*. Similarly [SIM], \add if someone says\add*, “I trust \add in God\add*,” but does not do \add things to help others, what that person says about trusting in God\add* is useless.
\c 3
\s1 Not many of you should become teachers, because God will judge teachers with greater severity than he will judge others. You should all strive to speak rightly, because what you say has a powerful effect on others, and it is often destructive and hypocritical.
\sr James 3:1-12
\p
\v 1 My fellow believers, not many of you should  \add desire to\add* become teachers  \add of God's truth, because\add* you know  \add that God\add* will judge us  \add (exc)\add*, who teach others, more severely  \add than he will judge other people\add*.
\v 2 It is true that we all in many ways do what is wrong [MET]. But those who always [LIT] control what they say will be all that God intends/wants them to be. They will be able to control all their actions [MTY].
\v 3 \add To illustrate\add*, if we put  \add a small metal\add* bit into the mouth of a horse in order to cause the horse to obey us, we can cause the horse to turn  \add and go where we want it to\add* [MET].
\v 4 Think also about ships. \add Although\add* a ship may be very large and  \add although\add* it can be moved by strong winds {strong winds can move it}, by  \add turning\add* a very small ◄rudder/steering paddle► people can direct the ship wherever they want  \add it to go\add*.
\v 5 Similarly, \add although\add* our tongues are very small, \add if we do not control them\add*, we can  \add harm\add* many people by what we proudly say [MTY]. Think  \add also\add* about how  \add just\add* a small  \add flame of\add* fire can cause a large forest (OR, a large area of brushwood) to burn.
\p
\v 6 \add Just like a fire damages a forest\add* [MET], when we say things that are evil, \add we harm many people\add*. What we say [MTY] reveals that there is much evil within us. What we say contaminates/defiles all that we think and do [PRS, MET]. \add Just like a flame of fire easily\add* causes  \add the whole surrounding area\add* [MET] to burn, what we say [MTY] can cause  \add others\add* to want to do evil. It is the devil himself [MTY] who causes us to speak what is evil.
\v 7 Indeed, although people are able to tame/control all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and creatures that live in the water, and people have tamed/controlled them,
\v 8 no person ◄\add on his own/by himself\add*► is able to control what he says [MTY]. And when people speak evilly, \add it shows that\add* they are unstable/uncontrolled and wicked [MTY]. \add As\add* the poison  \add of a snake kills people\add* [MTY], \add we harm others\add* [MET] by what we say.
\v 9 We use our tongue to praise God, who is our Lord and Father, but we also use our same tongue to ask God to do evil to people. \add That is very wrong, because\add* God made people like himself.
\v 10 We praise  \add God\add*, but with our same mouth we also ask for evil  \add things to happen to others\add*. My fellow believers, this should not be!
\v 11 ◄Surely bitter water and good water do not come out of the same spring!/How can bitter water and good water come out of the same spring?► [RHQ]
\v 12 My fellow believers, a fig tree cannot [RHQ] produce olives. Nor can [RHQ] a grapevine produce figs. Neither can a salty spring produce good  \add water\add*. \add Similarly, we should speak only what is good, and we should not speak what is evil\add* [MET].
\s1 If you are jealous of others and self-seeking, do not boast that you are wise. Instead, demonstrate that you are truly wise by doing good and by acting peaceably and compassionately toward others.
\sr James 3:13-18
\p
\v 13 If any of you thinks [RHQ] that  \add you are\add* wise and know much, you should always act in a good way to show people that your good deeds are the result of your  \add being truly\add* wise. Being wise  \add helps us to act\add* gently  \add toward others\add*.
\v 14 But if in your ◄inner beings/hearts► you are intensely/very [MET] ◄jealous/unhappy when you see that someone else is succeeding► and always want to have what you want, regardless of what others want, you should not say  \add that you are wise, for by boasting like that\add*, you are saying that ◄\add God's message/what God says about you\add*► is not true.
\v 15 Those who have such  \add attitudes are\add* not wise [MTY] in the way that God  \add wants them to be\add*. Instead, they are only thinking and acting like ◄\add ungodly people/people who do not please God\add*►. They think and act according to their own  \add evil\add* desires. They do what the demons  \add want them to do\add* (OR, they think and act as demons  \add do\add*).
\v 16 \add Keep in mind that\add* people who have such attitudes ◄are unruly/do not submit to authority► and  \add do\add* all kinds of evil things.
\v 17 But  \add when people\add* are wise [PRS] in the way that God [MTY] \add wants them to be\add*, they are pure in every way, which God considers to be very important. They also act peaceably towards  \add others\add*, they ◄are considerate of/think about the rights and feelings of► others, they are willing to yield to  \add the wishes of\add* others, they act compassionately  \add toward others\add*, and they do all kinds of good things  \add for others\add* [MET]. \add How they treat others does\add* not depend on ◄others' status/whether others are important or not►, and they are sincere  \add in all they do\add*.
\v 18 Those who  \add act\add* peaceably  \add toward others\add* cause the  \add others to also\add* act peaceably, with the result that they all live together  \add acting\add* righteously [MET].
\c 4
\s1 You are fighting among yourselves because of your evil desires, and you are never getting what you want because you pray with wrong motives.
\sr James 4:1-3
\p
\v 1 ◄Now I will tell you why you are fighting among yourselves and quarreling with each other./Do you know why you are fighting among yourselves and quarreling with each other?► [RHQ] It is [RHQ] because each of you \add wants to do the evil things that you\add* ◄\add enjoy doing/like to do\add*► [PRS]. You keep on wanting to do things that are opposed \add to what God wants you to do\add*.
\v 2 There are things that you \add very much\add* desire to have, but you do not get \add those things, so\add* you \add want to\add* kill [HYP] \add those who hinder you from getting them\add*. You desire what \add other people have\add*, but you are unable to get \add what you desire, so\add* you quarrel and fight \add with one another\add* [HYP]. You do not have \add what you desire\add* because you do not ask \add God for it\add*.
\v 3 \add And even when\add* you do ask \add him\add*, he does not give you \add what you ask for\add* because you are asking for the wrong reason. \add You are asking for things\add* in order that you may use them just to ◄enjoy yourselves/make yourselves happy►.
\s1 You are unfaithful to God and are behaving as evil people do, so you have become God's enemies, but he wants to help you. He opposes the proud, but he helps those who are humble.
\sr James 4:4-6
\p
\v 4 \add Like\add* a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, you \add are being unfaithful to God and not obeying him anymore\add* [MET]. Those who are behaving as evil people do [MTY] (OR, Those who love \add the evil pleasures of\add* this world) are hostile toward God. Perhaps you do not realize that [RHQ]. So those who decide to act as evil people do [MTY] become enemies of God.
\v 5 ◄Surely you do not think that it is for no reason that \add God told us in\add* the Scriptures that he eagerly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love \add God\add* only!/Do you think that it is for no reason that \add God told us in\add* the Scriptures that he strongly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love \add God\add* only?► [RHQ] God has a reason for desiring that.
\v 6 \add It is because\add* he is kind \add to us and he\add* wants very much to help us. That is why ◄someone said/\add King Solomon\add* wrote► \add in the Scriptures\add*, “God opposes those who are proud, but he helps those who are humble.”
\s1 So submit yourselves to God and resist the devil. Stop doing wrong and thinking wrong thoughts. Be sorry for having sinned. Humble yourselves before God, and he will honor you.
\sr James 4:7-10
\p
\v 7 So submit yourselves to God. ◄Resist the devil/Refuse to do what the devil wants►, and \add as a result\add* he will run away from you.
\v 8 Come near \add spiritually\add* to God, and \add as a result\add* he will come near to you. You who are sinners, stop doing what is wrong and do only what is good [SYN, MET]. You who cannot decide \add whether you will\add* ◄\add commit yourselves to God/obey God completely\add*►, stop thinking wrong thoughts, and think only pure thoughts [MTY].
\v 9 Be sorrowful and weep/mourn [DOU] \add because of the wrong that you have done\add*. Do not laugh [DOU], ◄\add enjoying only what you selfishly/enjoying only what you yourselves\add*► \add desire\add*. Instead, be sad \add because you have done what is wrong\add*.
\v 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and \add as a result\add* he will honor you.
\s1 Stop speaking evil against one another and thus condemning each other. Only God has the right to condemn people.
\sr James 4:11-12
\p
\v 11 My fellow believers, stop speaking evil against one another, \add because\add* those who speak evil against a fellow believer and \add thus\add* condemn \add one who is like\add* a brother \add to them\add* are really speaking against the law \add that God gave us to obey\add*. \add In this law, God commanded\add* [MTY] \add us to love others\add*, and those who speak evil against fellow believers, \add it is as though\add* they are saying \add by what they do\add* that we do not have to do what \add God\add* commanded. If you \add (sg)\add* say that you do not have to do what God commanded, you \add (sg)\add* are not obeying God's law. Instead, you \add (sg)\add* are claiming that you \add have the authority\add* to condemn \add others\add*.
\v 12 \add But in fact\add*, there is only one who \add has the authority to\add* tell \add people\add* what is right to do and to condemn \add them, and that is God\add*. He alone is able to save \add people\add* or to destroy people. \add  So\add*, ◄\bd you\bd* \add (sg)\add* certainly have no right to decide how God should punish other people./who are you to decide how God should punish other people?► [RHQ]
\s1 You should not boast about what you will do in the future, because life is transitory. Instead, you should plan to do whatever God wants you to do, because boasting about what you want to do, rather than considering the will of God, is sinful.
\sr James 4:13-17
\p
\v 13 \add Some of you\add* are \add arrogantly\add* saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city. We will spend a year there and we will buy and sell things and earn a lot of money.” Now, you listen to me!
\v 14 \add You should not talk like that, because\add* you do not know what will happen tomorrow, and you do not know \add how long\add* you will live! Your life \add is short\add* [MET], \add like\add* a mist that appears for a short time and then disappears.
\v 15 Instead of \add what you are saying\add*, you should say, “If the Lord wills/desires, we will live and do this or that.”
\v 16 But what you are doing is boasting about all the things that you arrogantly \add plan to do\add*. Your boasting like that is evil.
\p
\v 17 So if anyone knows the right thing that he should do, \add but\add* he does not do it, he is sinning.
\c 5
\s1 The rich people who oppress you should weep because they will suffer much. God will punish them because they have unjustly caused others to suffer.
\sr James 5:1-6
\p
\v 1 Now \add I have something to say to\add* the rich people \add who do not believe in Christ and who\add* ◄\add oppress you/cause you to suffer\add*►. Listen \add to me\add*, you rich people! You should weep and wail \add loudly\add* [DOU] because you will experience terrible troubles [PRS]!
\v 2 Your wealth \add of various kinds\add* is \add worthless\add* [MET], \add as though it were\add* rotted. Your fine clothes are \add worthless\add* [MET], \add as though\add* termites had ruined them.
\v 3 Your gold and silver are \add worthless\add* [MET], \add as though they were\add* corroded. \add When God judges you\add*, this worthless wealth [MTY] of yours will be evidence [PRS] that you are guilty \add of being greedy\add*, and as rust and fire \add destroy\add* [MET, SYN] things, \add God\add* will severely punish you [SIM]. You have ◄\add in vain/uselessly\add*► ◄stored up/accumulated► \add wealth\add* in a time when \add God\add* is about to \add judge you\add* [MTY].
\v 4 Think \add about what you have done\add*. You have not paid wages to the workmen who have harvested your fields for you, \add with the result that\add* [PRS] those reapers are crying out \add to God for him to help them\add*. \add And God\add*, the all-powerful Lord, has heard their loud cries.
\v 5 You have lived luxuriously, just to have pleasure \add here\add* on earth. \add Just like cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that\add* they will be slaughtered [MET], you have \add lived just for pleasure\add* [MTY], \add not realizing that God will severely punish you\add*.
\v 6 You have \add arranged for others/judges to\add* condemn innocent people. You have \add arranged for others to kill\add* some people. \add And even though\add* those people had not done anything wrong, they were not \add able to\add* defend themselves against you. \add My fellow believers, that is what I say to the rich people\add* ◄\add who oppress you/cause you to suffer\add*►.
\s1 So wait patiently for the Lord Jesus Christ to return and to judge all people fairly. Do not complain against each other, lest Jesus judge you when he returns. From the examples of the prophets and Job, we know that God blesses and rewards those who patiently endure suffering.
\sr James 5:7-11
\p
\v 7 So, my fellow believers, \add although rich people cause you to suffer\add*, be patient until the Lord \add Jesus Christ\add* comes \add back\add*. Remember that when farmers \add plant a field\add*, they wait for their valuable crops to grow. They must wait patiently for the rain \add that comes\add* at the planting season and for more rain \add that comes\add* just before the harvest season. They wait \add for\add* the crops \add to grow and mature before they can harvest them\add*.
\v 8 \add Similarly\add*, you also should \add wait\add* patiently and trust the Lord \add Jesus\add* firmly, because he is coming \add back\add* soon \add and will judge all people fairly\add*.
\v 9 My fellow believers, do not complain against each other, in order that you will not be condemned \add and punished by the Lord Jesus\add* {in order that \add the Lord Jesus\add* will not condemn you}. It is he who will judge us, and he is ready to appear.
\v 10 My fellow believers, as an example \add of how to be patient\add*, ◄consider/think about► the prophets whom the Lord \add God sent long ago\add* to speak his messages [MTY]. \add Although people caused\add* them to suffer much, they endured it patiently.
\v 11 And we know that \add God\add* ◄approves of/is pleased with► those who endure \add suffering for him\add*. You have also heard about Job. You know that \add although he suffered much\add*, the Lord \add God\add* finally brought good \add to Job because\add* he endured \add that suffering\add* (OR, because he continued \add to trust God\add*). \add And from that we know\add* that the Lord is very compassionate and kind.
\s1 Do not say, “If I am lying, may God punish me.” Instead, always tell the truth, lest God condemn you.
\sr James 5:12
\p
\v 12 Also, my fellow believers, \add I want to say\add* something important \add about how you talk\add*. \add If you say that you will do something\add*, do not say, “If I do not do it, may \add God in\add* heaven [MTY] punish me.” Do not even say, “If I do not do it, may \add someone here on\add* earth [MTY] punish me.” Do not say anything like that. Instead, if you say “Yes,” then \add do what you said that you would do\add*. If you say “No,” then do not \add do it\add*. Otherwise, \add God\add* will condemn you.
\s1 Whatever your circumstances are, pray, trusting in God, and he will certainly help you, both physically and spiritually. So confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, because God answers prayer.
\sr James 5:13-18
\p
\v 13 Whoever among you is experiencing trouble [RHQ] should pray \add that God would help him. Whoever\add* is cheerful/happy [RHQ] should sing songs of praise \add to God\add*.
\v 14 Whoever among you is sick [RHQ] should call the leaders of the congregation \add to come to pray for him\add*. They should put \add olive\add* oil on him and, with the Lord's authority [MTY] (OR, calling on the Lord \add to heal him\add*), pray.
\v 15 And if they truly trust \add in the Lord\add* when they pray [PRS], the sick person will be healed. The Lord will heal him. And if that person has sinned ◄\add in a way that caused him to be/and because of that he became\add*► \add sick, if he\add* ◄\add confesses what he did/says that he did what is wrong\add*►, he will be forgiven {\add the Lord\add* will forgive him}.
\v 16 So, \add because the Lord is able to heal the sick and to forgive sins\add*, tell each other the sinful things that you have done, and pray for each other in order that you may be healed {that \add God\add* may heal you} \add physically and spiritually\add*. If righteous people \add pray and\add* ask fervently \add for God to do something, God\add* will act powerfully and will certainly do it.
\v 17 \add Although the prophet\add* Elijah was ◄an ordinary person/just a human being► like us, he earnestly prayed that it would not rain. \add As a result\add*, it did not rain for three and a half years.
\v 18 Then he prayed again, \add asking God to send rain\add*, and \add as a result God\add* [MTY] sent rain, and plants \add grew and\add* produced crops \add again\add*.
\s1 If anyone turns away from God's true message, you believers should urge him to once again obey God so that God will forgive his many sins.
\sr James 5:19-20
\p
\v 19 My fellow believers, if anyone of you stops obeying the true message \add from God\add*, someone from among you should persuade that person to once again do \add what God has told us to do\add*. \add If he stops doing what is wrong\add*,
\v 20 the one \add who persuaded him\add* should realize that \add because\add* he has enabled the person who was sinning to stop doing what is wrong, \add God\add* will save that person from ◄\add spiritual\add* death/being separated from him forever►, and will forgive \add his\add* many sins.