1 aSee Acts 12:17 James, a servant of God andbRom. 1:1; 2 Pet. 1:1; Jude 1 of the Lord Jesus Christ, TocLuke 22:30; Acts 26:7 the twelve tribes ind1 Pet. 1:1; [Acts 2:9-11]; See John 7:35 the Dispersion: Greetings.
2 eSee Matt. 5:12 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trialsf1 Pet. 1:6 of various kinds, 3 for you know thatg1 Pet. 1:7 the testing of your faithhRom. 5:3; [ch. 5:11; Heb. 10:36; 2 Pet. 1:6] produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may bei1 Thess. 5:23; See Matt. 5:48 perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 j1 Kgs. 3:9-12; Prov. 2:3-6 If any of you lacks wisdom,kSee Matt. 7:7 let him ask God,lProv. 28:5 who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 ButmMark 11:24 let him ask in faith,nMatt. 21:21 with no doubting, for the one who doubts is likeo[Isa. 57:20; Eph. 4:14] a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 pch. 4:8 he is a double-minded man,q[2 Pet. 2:14; 3:16] unstable in all his ways.
9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 andrJer. 9:23 the rich in his humiliation, becauses[Ps. 102:4, 11; 1 Cor. 7:31; 1 Pet. 1:24] like a flower of the grass1Or a wild flower he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat andtIsa. 40:7 withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
12 uch. 5:11; Matt. 10:22; 1 Pet. 3:14; [Dan. 12:12] Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receivevRev. 2:10; 3:11; [1 Cor. 9:25; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 5:4] the crown of life,wch. 2:5 which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God, ” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desirexJob 15:35; Ps. 7:14; Isa. 59:4 when it has conceived gives birth to sin, andyRom. 5:12; 6:23 sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 zPs. 85:12; John 3:27; 1 Cor. 4:7 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down froma1 John 1:5 the Father of lightsbMal. 3:6 with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 cJohn 1:13 Of his own will hed[Gal. 4:19; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23] brought us forth by the word of truth,e[Eph. 1:12] that we should be a kind offJer. 2:3; Rev. 14:4; [Rom. 8:19-23] firstfruits of his creatures.
19 g1 John 2:21 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every personh[Eccles. 5:1, 2] be quick to hear,iProv. 10:19; 17:27 slow to speak,jSee Prov. 14:29 slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. 21 ThereforekCol. 3:8 put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive withlch. 3:13 meekness the implanted word,m1 Cor. 15:2; Eph. 1:13 which is able to save your souls.
22 But benRom. 2:13; [ch. 2:14-20; Matt. 7:21, 24-27; Luke 8:21; John 13:17] doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law,och. 2:12; [Gal. 2:4; 5:1, 13; 1 Pet. 2:16; 2 Pet. 2:19]; See John 8:32 the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts,pPs. 1:1, 2; Luke 11:28 he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religiousqch. 3:2, 3; Ps. 39:1; [ch. 3:6; Ps. 34:13; 141:3] and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person'srActs 26:5 religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this:sMatt. 25:36 to visittJob 31:17, 18; Isa. 1:17, 23 orphans and widows in their affliction, andu1 Tim. 5:22; 1 John 5:18 to keep oneselfv2 Pet. 3:14 unstained from the world.