Warning Against Worldliness
ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ 4 Πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν;
JAMES 4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions [1] are y at war within you? [2]
2ἐπιθυμεῖτε καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε, φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν, μάχεσθε καὶ πολεμεῖτε, οὐκ ἔχετε διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς,
2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε.
3You ask and do not receive, because you ask z wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
4μοιχαλίδες, οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν; ὃς ἐὰν οὖν βουληθῇ φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσταται.
4 a You adulterous people! [3] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? b Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5ἢ δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει· πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,
5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit c that he has made to dwell in us”?
6μείζονα δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν; διὸ λέγει·
ὁ θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται,
ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν.
6But d he gives more grace. Therefore it says, e “God opposes the proud, but d gives grace to the humble.”
7ὑποτάγητε οὖν τῷ θεῷ, ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν·
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. f Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοί, καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας, δίψυχοι.
8 g Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. h Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and i purify your hearts, j you double-minded.
9ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε. ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν.
9 k Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10ταπεινώθητε ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ὑψώσει ὑμᾶς.
10 l Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί. ὁ καταλαλῶν ἀδελφοῦ ἢ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καταλαλεῖ νόμου καὶ κρίνει νόμον· εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου ἀλλὰ κριτής.
11 m Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. [4] The one who speaks against a brother or n judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12εἷς ἐστιν ὁ νομοθέτης καὶ κριτὴς ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι· σὺ δὲ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων τὸν πλησίον;
12There is only o one lawgiver and p judge, he who is able to save and q to destroy. But r who are you to judge your neighbor?
Boasting About Tomorrow
13Ἄγε νῦν οἱ λέγοντες· σήμερον ἢ αὔριον πορευσόμεθα εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν καὶ ποιήσομεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα καὶ κερδήσομεν,
13Come now, you who say, s “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
14οἵτινες οὐκ ἐπίστασθε τὸ τῆς αὔριον ποία ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν – ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστε ἡ πρὸς ὀλίγον φαινομένη, ἔπειτα καὶ ἀφανιζομένη –
14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For t you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
15ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν ὑμᾶς· ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ καὶ ζήσομεν καὶ ποιήσομεν τοῦτο ἢ ἐκεῖνο.
15Instead you ought to say, u “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16νῦν δὲ καυχᾶσθε ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονείαις ὑμῶν· πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη πονηρά ἐστιν.
16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. v All such boasting is evil.
17εἰδότι οὖν καλὸν ποιεῖν καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι, ἁμαρτία αὐτῷ ἐστιν.
17 w So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Warning to the Rich
ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ 5 Ἄγε νῦν οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις.
JAMES 5 Come now, x you rich, weep and howl for the y miseries that are coming upon you.
2ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν,
2 z Your riches have rotted and z your garments are moth-eaten.
3ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται καὶ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται καὶ φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ. ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις.
3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. a You have laid up treasure b in the last days.
4ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν τῶν ἀμησάντων τὰς χώρας ὑμῶν ὁ ἀπεστερημένος ἀφ’ ὑμῶν κράζει, καὶ αἱ βοαὶ τῶν θερισάντων εἰς τὰ ὦτα κυρίου σαβαὼθ εἰσεληλύθασιν.
4Behold, c the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and d the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of e the Lord of hosts.
5ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε, ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς,
5 f You have lived on the earth in luxury and g in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in h a day of slaughter.
6κατεδικάσατε, ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον· οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν.
6You have condemned and i murdered j the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Patience in Suffering
7Μακροθυμήσατε οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου. ἰδοὺ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκδέχεται τὸν τίμιον καρπὸν τῆς γῆς μακροθυμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ, ἕως λάβῃ πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον.
7Be patient, therefore, brothers, [1] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives k the early and the late rains.
8μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς, στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου ἤγγικεν.
8You also, be patient. l Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord m is at hand.
9μὴ στενάζετε, ἀδελφοί, κατ’ ἀλλήλων, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε· ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν.
9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, n so that you may not be judged; behold, o the Judge is standing p at the door.
10ὑπόδειγμα λάβετε, ἀδελφοί, τῆς κακοπαθείας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας τοὺς προφήτας οἳ ἐλάλησαν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου.
10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take q the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ὑπομείναντας· τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε καὶ τὸ τέλος κυρίου εἴδετε, ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων.
11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of r the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen s the purpose of the Lord, how t the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12Πρὸ πάντων δέ, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ὀμνύετε μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν μήτε τὴν γῆν μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ ὅρκον· ἤτω δὲ ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε.
12But above all, my brothers, u do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
The Prayer of Faith
13Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν, προσευχέσθω· εὐθυμεῖ τις, ψαλλέτω·
13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him v sing praise.
14ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν, προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου.
14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, w anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα καὶ ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος· κἂν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς, ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ.
15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And x if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
16Therefore, y confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, z that you may be healed. a The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. [2]
17Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ·
17Elijah was a man b with a nature like ours, and c he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for d three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
18καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.
18 e Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19Ἀδελφοί μου, ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν,
19My brothers, f if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone g brings him back,
20γινωσκέτω ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν.
20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering h will save his soul from death and i will cover a multitude of sins.