New Living Translation

New King James Version

Warning to the Rich

Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.

1

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!

2

Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags.

2

Your riches [a]are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

3

Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.

3

Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.

4

For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

4

Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of [b]Sabaoth.

5

You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.

5

You have lived on the earth in pleasure and [c]luxury; you have [d]fattened your hearts [e]as in a day of slaughter.

6

You have condemned and killed innocent people,a who do not resist you.b

6

You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

7

Patience and Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters,c be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

7

Be Patient and Persevering

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, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

8

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord [f]is at hand.

9

Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look — the Judge is standing at the door!

9

Do not [g]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be [h]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

10

For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

10

My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

11

We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.

11

Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord — that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

12

But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.

12

But above all, my brethren, do 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 [i]judgment.

13

The Power of Prayer

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

13

Meeting Specific Needs

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

14

Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.

14

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

15

Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

15

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

16

[j]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, [k]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

17

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!

17

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

18

Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

18

And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19

Restore Wandering Believers

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,

19

Bring Back the Erring One

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,

20

you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

20

let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save [l]a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New King James Version

James 5

James 5