James 5 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Come on, you rich people! You should weep and wail for all the problems that are coming your way!
1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
2 Your wealth is ruined, and your clothes have been eaten by moths.
2 Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and this corrosion will be evidence against you, eating away your flesh like fire. You hoarded up your wealth in these last days.
3 Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days.
4 Look, the wages of your farm workers that you cheated are crying out against you—the cries of the farm workers have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.
5 You've enjoyed a life of luxury here on earth, full of self-indulgent pleasure, fattening yourselves up for the day of slaughter!
5 You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned and killed the innocent who didn't even resist you.
6 You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.
7 Friends, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Think of the farmer waiting patiently for the earth's precious harvest as it grows with the early and later rains.
7 Be patient therefore, brothers, 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 late rain.
8 You need to be patient too. Stay strong for the Lord's return is near.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 My friends, don't complain about each other, so you won't be judged. Look, the judge is standing right at the door!
9 Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.
10 Take the prophets as an example, my friends—see how they spoke in the Lord's name as they suffered and waited patiently.
10 Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 Notice that we say that those who endure are blessed. You've heard about the patience of Job, and you've seen how the Lord brought this to a positive conclusion—for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my friends, don't swear. Not by heaven, not by earth, and not by any other kind of oath. Just let your yes be yes, and your no be no, so you won't fall under condemnation.
12 But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear—not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.
13 Are any of you suffering? You should pray. Are some of you cheerful? You should sing songs of praise.
13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the church elders and have them pray over you, and anoint you with oil in the Lord's name.
14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 Such a prayer, trusting in God, will heal those who are sick, and the Lord will make them well. If they've committed sins, they will be forgiven.
15 and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Admit the wrongs you've done to each other, and pray for one another so that you'll be healed. Earnest prayer from those who live right is very effective.
16 Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
17 Elijah was a man who had the same human nature as we do. He prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three and a half years.
17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18 He prayed again—heaven sent rain and the earth gave its harvest.
18 He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My friends, if any one of you strays from the truth and someone brings you back,
19 Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,
20 let them know that whoever rescues a sinner from the error of their ways will save them from death, and will gain forgiveness for many sins.
20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Cross references (20)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 11:28; 1 Timothy 6:9–10; Proverbs 11:4; James 1:11; Luke 6:24–25
- 2 Matthew 6:19–20; Job 13:28; Luke 12:33; Isaiah 50:9; Isaiah 51:8
- 3 Romans 2:5; James 5:7–8; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 20:15; Isaiah 2:2
- 4 Leviticus 19:13; Jeremiah 22:13; Deuteronomy 24:14–15; Romans 9:29; Malachi 3:5
- 5 1 Timothy 5:6; Luke 16:25; Luke 16:19; Revelation 19:17–18; Amos 6:1
- 6 1 Peter 2:22–23; John 19:9–11; Matthew 5:39; Acts 8:32; Isaiah 53:7
- 7 Hebrews 12:1–3; James 5:8–9; Joel 2:23; Galatians 6:9; Deuteronomy 11:14
- 8 James 5:9; Galatians 5:22; Psalm 37:7; 1 Peter 4:7; Psalm 27:14
- 9 Leviticus 19:18; 1 Corinthians 4:5; James 4:11; Galatians 5:14; Matthew 7:1–2
- 10 Hebrews 11:32–38; Matthew 5:11–12; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:14–15; Acts 7:52
- 11 James 1:12; Exodus 34:6; Job 1:21–22; Isaiah 55:6–7; Matthew 5:10–11
- 12 Matthew 5:33–37; Matthew 23:16–22; 2 Corinthians 1:17–20
- 13 Psalm 50:15; Jonah 2:2; Ephesians 5:19; Acts 16:24–25; Revelation 19:1–6
- 14 Mark 6:13; Acts 28:8; Mark 16:18; 2 Kings 5:11; Acts 9:40
- 15 1 John 5:14–16; James 5:13; James 5:16; James 1:6; Matthew 21:21–22
- 16 Jeremiah 29:12–13; Proverbs 15:29; Matthew 21:22; Psalm 34:15; John 9:31
- 17 1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; 1 Kings 18:1; Revelation 11:6; Acts 14:15
- 18 1 Kings 18:42–45; Jeremiah 14:22; 1 Kings 18:18; Acts 14:17
- 19 Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15; James 5:20; Jude 22–23; Luke 22:32
- 20 1 Peter 4:8; Proverbs 10:12; 1 Timothy 4:16; Proverbs 11:30; Romans 11:14
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Let us listen to the Apostle James, who states this precept with the greatest clearness when he says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another." For of this also the Lord gave us the example.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)
Also, the converting our brethren from their wandering. For, it is said, "Go thou, and convert thy brethren, that thy sins may be forgiven thee." And from one's being in close relations with the priests, "and if," it is said, "a man hath committed sins it shall be forgiven him." ( Jas.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 14 (1889)