JamesChapter 5

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¹Now listen, you rich people. Cry and wail because of the misery that is coming to you. ²Your riches have rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³Your gold and silver have rusted. Their rust will be a witness against you. It will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴Look! You held back the pay of the workers who mowed your fields. Their pay is crying out against you. The cries of the harvest workers have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. ⁵You have lived on earth in rich comfort, giving yourselves whatever you want. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. ⁶You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not fight back against you. ⁷So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord comes. Look at how the farmer waits for the land to give its precious crop. See how patiently he waits for the fall and spring rains. ⁸You also must be patient. Make your hearts strong, because the Lord's coming is near. ⁹Brothers and sisters, don't complain about each other, or you will be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door! ¹⁰Brothers and sisters, think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Follow their example of patience when they suffered. ¹¹You see, we think of those who kept going as blessed. You have heard how Job kept going. And you have seen how the Lord made things turn out in the end. The Lord is full of kindness and mercy. ¹²My brothers and sisters, above all, do not swear an oath. Don't swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Just let your "Yes" mean yes, and your "No" mean no. Then you will not be judged. ¹³Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? He should call the elders of the church. They should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶So tell your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful and gets results. ¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed hard that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Then he prayed again, and the sky poured down rain. And the earth grew its crops. ¹⁹My brothers and sisters, one of you might wander away from the truth. And someone might bring that person back. ²⁰If so, remember this. Whoever turns a sinner back from his wrong path will save his soul from death. He will also cover a huge number of sins.