James 5

A Warning to the Rich

1 Now listen, you rich people: cry and howl over the misery coming your way.

2 Your riches are rotting, and moths have eaten through your expensive clothes.

3 Your gold and silver are corroded. That corrosion will testify against you and eat through you like fire. You stacked up treasure while the last days were already here.

4 Look, the wages you cheated from the workers who harvested your fields are crying out. The workers’ cries have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

5 You lived on earth in luxury, feeding every pleasure. You fattened your hearts like animals being prepared for slaughter.

6 You condemned and killed righteous people who were not even fighting back against you.

Stay Patient Until the Lord Comes

7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord comes. Think about a farmer waiting for the earth’s valuable crop, patiently watching for the early and later rains.

8 You all be patient too. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

9 Do not grumble against each other, family, or you will be judged. Look, the Judge is already standing at the door.

10 Brothers and sisters, use the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as your example of suffering with patience.

11 We call people blessed when they keep enduring. You have heard about Job’s endurance and seen what the Lord brought out of it. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

12 Above everything, my family, do not swear by heaven, earth, or anything else. Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no, so you do not fall under judgment.

Pray in Every Situation

13 Is anybody among you suffering, They should pray. Is anybody cheerful, They should sing praise.

14 Is anybody sick, They should call the church elders, who should pray over them and anoint them with oil in the Lord’s name.

15 The prayer offered in faith will restore the sick person, and the Lord will raise them up. If they have committed sins, they will be forgiven.

16 So confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so healing can happen. The prayer of a righteous person carries serious power and gets results.

17 Elijah was human just like us. He prayed hard for the rain to stop, and no rain fell on the land for three years and six months.

18 Then he prayed again, the sky sent rain, and the earth produced its crop.

Bring Back Those Who Wander

19 My brothers and sisters, if somebody among you wanders away from the truth and another person brings them back,

20 remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from the wrong road saves a soul from death and helps cover a whole multitude of sins.