James 5
Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged
Come now, you arich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your ariches are corrupted, and byour garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. aYou have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed athe wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and bthe cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
Be Patient and Persevering
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 aMy brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and bpatience. 11 Indeed awe count them blessed who bendure. You have heard of cthe perseverance of Job and seen dthe end intended by the Lord—that ethe Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brethren, ado not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.
Meeting Specific Needs
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him apray. Is anyone cheerful? bLet him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, aanointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. aAnd if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. aThe effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man awith a nature like ours, and bhe prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed aagain, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Bring Back the Erring One
19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone aturns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way awill save a soul from death and bcover a multitude of sins.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
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