James · Majority Standard Bible
James 5 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
1 Ἄγε νῦν οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις·
2 Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
2 ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπε καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν,
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.
3 ὁ 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.
4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
4 ἰδοὺ 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.
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts as in the day of slaughter.
5 ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε, ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς.
6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
6 κατεδικάσατε, ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον· οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν.
7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
7 Μακροθυμήσατε οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου. ἰδοὺ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκδέχεται τὸν τίμιον καρπὸν τῆς γῆς, μακροθυμῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ ἕως λάβῃ ὑετὸν πρώϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον.
8 You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
8 μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς, στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου ἤγγικε.
9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
9 μὴ στενάζετε κατ᾽ ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε· ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν.
10 My brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
10 ὑπόδειγμα λάβετε, ἀδελφοί μου, τῆς κακοπαθείας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας τοὺς προφήτας, οἳ ἐλάλησαν τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου.
11 See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. He is full of compassion and mercy.
11 ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ὑπομένοντας· τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε, καὶ τὸ τέλος Κυρίου εἴδετε, ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων.
12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall into hypocrisy.
12 Πρὸ πάντων δέ, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ὀμνύετε μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν μήτε τὴν γῆν μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ ὅρκον· ἤτω δὲ ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναί, καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ὑπόκρισιν πέσητε.
13 Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
13 Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσευχέσθω· εὐθυμεῖ τις; ψαλλέτω.
14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
14 ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου·
15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
15 καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα, καὶ ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος· κἂν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς, ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ.
16 Confess your trespasses to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
16 ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε· πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.
17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
17 Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν, καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ·
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
18 καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκε καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.
19 Brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
19 Ἀδελφοί, ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν,
20 consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
20 γινωσκέτω ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν.
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)