James 5

Warning to the Rich

1Come now, you rich people: weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. 2Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten. 3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4Look! The wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, who does not resist you.

Be Patient Until the Lord’s Coming

7Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it until it receives the early and late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Look—the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Look, we call those blessed who endured. You have heard of Job's endurance and have seen the Lord's purpose in the end—that the Lord is deeply compassionate and merciful.

Let Your Yes Be Yes

12Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven, earth, or any other oath. Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you do not fall under judgment.

Prayer, Healing, and Confession

13Is anyone among you suffering? Let that person pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let that person sing praise. 14Is anyone among you sick? Let that person call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise them up. And if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. 17Elijah was a human being with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. It did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the One Who Wanders

19My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings that person back, 20know that whoever brings a sinner back from the error of their way will save a life from death and cover a multitude of sins.