THE 1GENERAL 2EPISTLE
OF
3JAMES
James 5 ©
1 The apostle proceeds in the exhortations for a Christian walk, and shows the miseries which are coming upon the rich. 4 Who withhold the wages of the poor from them. 5 Who abuse riches to voluptuousness. 6 And who oppress the godly persons. 7 Admonishes the oppressed to long-suffering patience, by the coming of Christ and by the examples of an husbandman. 10 Of the prophets, and especially of Job. 12 Discourages from vain swearing. 13 Teaches how men must carry themselves in adversity and prosperity. 14 And what the sick ought to do, as also what service should be done to them, especially by anointing them and praying for them. 17 Showing by the example of Elijah, how powerful the prayer is of the faithful. 19 And finally he exhorts those who are gone astray to return into the right way and to repentance. 20 And teaches how glorious this work is.
GO to now,a ye 1rich men, weep and howl for your miseries 2that shall come upon you.
3Your riches 4are corrupted, and 5your garments are motheaten.
6Your goldb and silver 7is cankered;c and the rust of them 8shall be a 9witness against you, and 10shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Yed have heaped 11treasure together 12for the last days.
Behold, thee hire of the labourers 13who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, 14crieth: and 15the cries of them which have reaped are entered into 16the ears of the Lord of 17sabaoth.
Yef have lived 18in pleasure on the earth, and 19been wanton; ye have nourished 20your hearts, as in 21a day of slaughter.
Ye have condemned and killed 22the just; and he doth not 23resist you.
24Be patient therefore, brethren, 25unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandmang waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath 26long patience for it, until he receive 27the early and 28latter rain.
Be 29ye also patient; 30stablish your hearts: for 31the coming of the Lord 32draweth nigh.
33Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, 34the judge 35standeth before the door.
Take, my brethren, 36the prophets, who have spoken 37in the name of the Lord, for an example 38of suffering affliction, and of patience.
Behold, weh count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of thei patience of Job, and have seen 39the end of the Lord; thatj the Lord is 40very pitiful,k and of tender mercy.
But above all things, my brethren, 41swearl not, 42neither by heaven, neither by the earth, 43neither by any other oath: but let 44your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye 45fall into condemnation.
Is any among you 46afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? letm him sing psalms.
Is any 47sick among you? let him call for 48the elders of the church; and let them 49pray 50over him, 51anointing himn with oil 52in the name of the Lord:
And 53the prayer of faith shall 54save the sick, and 55the Lord shall 56raise him up; and if he have committed 57sins, they shall be 58forgiven him.
59Confess your faults one to another, and 60pray one for another, that ye may be 61healed. The 62effectual fervent prayer of a 63righteous man availeth much.
Eliaso was a man subject to like 64passions as we are, and he 65prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not 66on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
Andp he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Brethren, ifq any of you do err 67from the truth, and one 68convert him;
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall 69save 70a soul 71from death, andr shall 72hide a multitude 73of sins.