James 5

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A Warning to the Rich

¹Ἄγε νῦν οἱ πλούσιοι κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις

¹Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

²ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν

²Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

³ὁ 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

³Your 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.

⁴ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν τῶν ἀμησάντων τὰς χώρας ὑμῶν ὁ ἀφυστερημένος ἀφ’ ὑμῶν κράζει καὶ αἱ βοαὶ τῶν θερισάντων εἰς τὰ ὦτα Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ εἰσεληλύθασιν

⁴Look, 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.

⁵Ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς

⁵You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.

⁶κατεδικάσατε ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν

⁶You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

⁷Μακροθυμήσατε οὖν ἀδελφοί ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἰδοὺ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκδέχεται τὸν τίμιον καρπὸν τῆς γῆς μακροθυμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἕως λάβῃ πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον

⁷Be 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.^a

⁸μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου ἤγγικεν

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

⁹μὴ στενάζετε ἀδελφοί κατ’ ἀλλήλων ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν

⁹Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰Ὑπόδειγμα λάβετε ἀδελφοί τῆς κακοπαθίας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας τοὺς προφήτας οἳ ἐλάλησαν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου

¹⁰Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

¹¹ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ὑπομείναντας τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε καὶ τὸ τέλος Κυρίου εἴδετε ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων

¹¹See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

¹²Πρὸ 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 ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε

¹²Above 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 under judgment.

The Prayer of Faith

¹³Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν προσευχέσθω εὐθυμεῖ τις ψαλλέτω

¹³Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

¹⁴ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου

¹⁴Is 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.

¹⁵καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα καὶ ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος κἂν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ

¹⁵And 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.

¹⁶Ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ὅπως ἰαθῆτε πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη

¹⁶Therefore confess your sins 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.

¹⁷Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ

¹⁷Elijah 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.

¹⁸καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς

¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

Restoring a Sinner

¹⁹Ἀδελφοί μου ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν

¹⁹My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,

²⁰γινωσκέτω ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν

²⁰consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.