Warning to the Rich
1 Come now, you prich, qweep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are rmoth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up streasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the twages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a uday of slaughter. 6 You have vcondemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,1 until the wcoming of the Lord. xSee how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the yearly and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, zfor the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, aso that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the bprophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those cblessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of dthe steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ethe purpose of the Lord, fhow the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, gdo not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, hbut let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
The Prayer of Faith
13 iIs anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? jLet him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, kanointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. lAnd if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. mThe prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.1 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and nhe prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 oThen he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My brothers, pif anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will qcover a multitude of sins.
