Jam 5 | LSB | STEP | Come now, you rich, cry, howling over your miseries which are coming upon you.

‏ James 5

Miseries of the Rich

1 Come now, you rich, cry, howling over your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up such treasure in the last days! 4 Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields—that which has been withheld by you—cries out against you; and the outcries of those who did the harvesting have reached the ears of the ^{▼▼In OT, Yahweh, cf. Is 5:9}Lord of ^▼▼HostsSabaoth. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and lived in self-indulgence. You have ^{▼▼Lit nourished}fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous man; ^{▼▼Or does He not resist you?, cf. 4:6}he does not resist you.

Patience and Perseverance

7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until ^{▼▼Or he}it receives the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not groan, brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing ^{▼▼Lit before}right at the ^{▼▼Lit doors}door. 10 As an example, brothers, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we count those blessed who persevere. You have heard of the ^{▼▼Or steadfastness}perseverance of Job and have seen the ^{▼▼Lit end of the Lord}outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let ^{▼▼Lit yours is to be yes, yes, and no, no}your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, ^{▼▼Lit having anointed}anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer ^{▼▼Lit of}offered in faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, ^{▼▼Lit it}they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective ^{▼▼Lit supplication}prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed ^{▼▼Lit with prayer}earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the ^{▼▼Lit heaven}sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that ^{▼▼Lit he who has turned}he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.