James, 5

1. Well now, you rich! Lament, weep for the miseries that are coming to you.

1. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

2. Your wealth is rotting, your clothes are all moth-eaten.

2. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

3. All your gold and your silver are corroding away, and the same corrosion will be a witness against you and eat into your body. It is like a fire which you have stored up for the final days.

3. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days.

4. Can you hear crying out against you the wages which you kept back from the labourers mowing your fields? The cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord Sabaoth.

4. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5. On earth you have had a life of comfort and luxury; in the time of slaughter you went on eating to your heart's content.

5. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6. It was you who condemned the upright and killed them; they offered you no resistance.

6. You have condemned, you have killed the righteous man; he does not resist you.

7. Now be patient, brothers, until the Lord's coming. Think of a farmer: how patiently he waits for the precious fruit of the ground until it has had the autumn rains and the spring rains!

7. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it until it receives the early and the late rain.

8. You too must be patient; do not lose heart, because the Lord's coming will be soon.

8. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9. Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates.

9. Do not grumble, brethren, against one another, that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the doors.

10. For your example, brothers, in patiently putting up with persecution, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name;

10. As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11. remember it is those who had perseverance that we say are the blessed ones. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and understood the Lord's purpose, realising that the Lord is kind and compassionate.

11. Behold, we call those happy who were steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

12. Above all, my brothers, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or use any oaths at all. If you mean 'yes', you must say 'yes'; if you mean 'no', say 'no'. Otherwise you make yourselves liable to judgement.

12. But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no be no, that you may not fall under condemnation.

13. Any one of you who is in trouble should pray; anyone in good spirits should sing a psalm.

13. Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

14. Any one of you who is ill should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him.

14. Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

15. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

15. and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16. So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another to be cured; the heartfelt prayer of someone upright works very powerfully.

16. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.

17. Elijah was a human being as frail as ourselves -- he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell for three and a half years;

17. Eli'jah was a man of like nature with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

18. then he prayed again and the sky gave rain and the earth gave crops.

18. Then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

19. My brothers, if one of you strays away from the truth, and another brings him back to it,

19. My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back,

20. he may be sure that anyone who can bring back a sinner from his erring ways will be saving his soul from death and covering over many a sin.

20. let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.