Yahchanan.com Book of Love  
Welcome to Yahchanan.com


Epistle of Ya'aqobah




The General Epistle of Ya'aqobah [James]

Chapter 1

1 Ya'aqobah [James], a servant of Yahwah [YHWH] and of the Master Yahushua the Messiyah [not: Jesus the Christ], to the twelve tribes who are of the Dispersion, greeting.

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into many trials,

3 knowing the testing of your faith works patience.

4 Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Yahwah (who gives to all liberally and does not upbraid), and it will be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who doubts is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 Do not let a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways,

8 think he will receive anything of Yahwah.

9 Let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate,

10 and the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 The sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass. Its flower falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his goings.

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation. When he is approved, he will receive the crown of life, which Yahwah promises to those who love Him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted: I am tempted of Yahwah. Yahwah cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no man.

14 Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then the lust, when it is conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is fullgrown, brings forth death.

16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor shadow that is cast by turning.

18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

19 You know this, my beloved brothers. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath,

20 for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of Yahwah.

21 Putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive the implanted Word with meekness, which is able to save your souls.

22 Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like to a man seeing his natural face in a mirror.

24 He sees himself, goes away, and straightaway forgets what manner of man he is.

25 But he who looks into the perfect Law, the law of liberty, and so continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer who works, this man is blessed in his doing.

26 If any man thinks himself to be religious, while he does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man's religion is vain.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before Yahwah and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Chapter 2

1 My brothers, do not hold the faith of our king Yahushua the Messiyah, the Master of glory, with respect of persons.

2 If there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there come in also a poor man in vile clothing;

3 and you have regard to him who wears the fine clothing and say: Sit here in a good place; and you say to the poor man; Stand there; or; Sit under my footstool;

4 do you not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Hearken, my beloved brothers. Did Yahwah not choose those who are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do the rich not oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?

7 Do they not blaspheme the honorable Name by which you are called?

8 If you fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture: You will love your neighbor as yourself; you do well.

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

10 For whosoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he is become guilty of all.

11 He who said: Do not commit adultery; also said; Do not kill. Now if you do not commit adultery, but kill, you are become a transgressor of the law.

12 Speak, and do, as men who are to be judged by a law of liberty.

13 Judgment is without mercy to him who showed no mercy, mercy glories against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

16 and one of you say unto them: Go in peace, be you warmed and filled; and yet you do not give them the things needful to the body, what does it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself.

18 Yea, a man will say: You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

19 You believe Yahwah is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person [Paul!], that faith apart from works is useless?

21 Was Abraham our father not justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 You see that faith wrought with his works, and by works faith was made perfect.

23 The scripture was fulfilled which said: Abraham believed Yahwah, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of Yahwah.

24 You see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

25 In like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Chapter 3

1 Do not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

2 For in many things we all stumble. If any does not stumble in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.

3 Now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also.

4 Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, where the impulse of the steers-man wills.

5 The tongue also is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!

6 The tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, sets the wheel of nature on fire, and is set on fire by the lake of fire.

7 Every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and was tamed by mankind.

8 But the tongue no man can tame, it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless Yahwah and Ahyah, and with it we curse men who are made after the likeness of Yahwah.

10 Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought to not be.

11 Does the fountain send forth sweet water and bitter from the same opening?

12 Can a fig tree yield olives, my brothers, or a vine figs? Nor can salt water yield sweet.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.

14 If you have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, do not glory and do not lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom is not a wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion, and every vile deed.

17 But the Wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.

18 The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Chapter 4

1 Why do wars and why do fightings come among you? Do they not come here, even of your pleasures that war in your members?

2 You lust, and do not have. You kill, covet, and cannot obtain. You fight and war, you do not have, because you do not ask.

3 You ask, and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it in your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses, do you not know the friendship of the world is enmity with Yahwah? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Yahwah.

5 Or do you think the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which He made to dwell in us long unto envying?

6 He gives grace. The scripture said: Yahwah resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

7 Be subject unto Yahwah. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near to Yahwah, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Be afflicted, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of Yahwah, and He will exalt you.

11 Do not speak one against another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even He who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you who judge your neighbor?

13 Come now, you who say: Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, to trade, and get gain.

14 But you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 You ought to say: If Yahwah wills, we will both live, and do this or that.

16 But now you glory in your vauntings, all such glorying is evil.

17 To him who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Chapter 5

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

2 Your riches are corrupted, your garments are moth-eaten.

3 Your gold and your silver are rusted, their rust is for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh as fire. You laid up your treasure in the last days.

4 Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields cries out, of which you kept back by fraud, and the cries of those who reaped enter into the ears of Yahwah of Sabaoth [YHWH of Hosts].

5 You live delicately on the earth, and take your pleasure, you nourish your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 You condemned, you killed the Righteous One, He did not resist you.

7 Be patient brothers, until the coming of the Master. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the King is at hand.

9 Do not murmur one against another, brothers, that you not be judged. Behold, the Judge stands before the doors.

10 Brothers, for an example of suffering and of patience, take the prophets who spoke in the Name of Yahwah.

11 Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You heard of the patience of Yahb [Job], and saw the end [goal] of Yahwah, how Yahwah is full of pity, and merciful.

12 But above all things, my brothers, do not swear. Not by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath. Let your yes be yes, and your no, no, that you not fall under judgment.

13 Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

14 Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of Yahwah.

15 The prayer of faith will save him who is sick, Yahwah will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.

16 Confess your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man avails much in its working.

17 Eliyah was a man of like passions with us. He prayed that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 He prayed again, the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

19 My brothers, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him,

20 let him know that he who converts a sinner from the error of his ways saves a soul from death, and covers a multitude of sins.









Next Book

Top Of The Page