Jakobus 1

Jakobus groet die mense wat sy brief lees

1 Ek, Jakobus, is ’n tdienaar van God en die Here Jesus Christus. Ek skryf hierdie brief vir die ttwaalf stamme van Israel wat oral in die hele wêreld woon. Ek groet julle!

Julle moet bly wees wanneer julle swaarkry

4 Julle moet so aanhou glo dat julle geloof heeltemal sal wees soos dit moet wees. Julle moet so aanhou glo dat julle alles sal doen wat God wil hê, dan sal julle heeltemal wees soos God wil hê julle moet wees.
5 As daar by julle iemand is wat nie twysheid het nie, dan moet hy vir God vra om vir hom wysheid te gee, en God sal dit gee. Want God gee baie graag, Hy praat nie kwaai met mense wat tot Hom bid nie. 6 Wanneer mense bid, dan moet hulle glo dat God sal gee wat hulle vra, hulle moenie twyfel nie. Want ’n mens wat twyfel, is soos die see se branders, die wind waai die branders heen en weer. 7 Iemand wat twyfel, moenie dink dat die Here vir hom iets sal gee nie,

8 so ’n mens weet nie wat hy moet besluit nie, hy weet nooit wat hy moet doen nie, hy is nie seker nie.

Ryk mense en arm mense

11 Want wanneer die son begin skyn en dit word baie warm, dan word die veldblomme droog en hulle val af en die mooi blomme is nie meer daar nie. So is ’n ryk mens en sy besigheid, hy sal verdwyn soos ’n veldblom.

Dinge wat ’n mens toets en wat ’n mens laat swaarkry

15 Wanneer iemand lus is om verkeerde dinge te doen, dan doen hy sonde, en wanneer die sonde groter en groter word, dan bring dit die dood.
16 My vriende, ek is baie lief vir julle, julle moenie dom wees nie. 17 Elke goeie ding wat julle kry, elke present wat goed en reg is, kom van bo af, dit kom van die Vader wat die sterre in die lug gemaak het. Die Vader verander nie, Hy is soos ’n lig wat altyd skyn.

18 God het besluit om vir ons die boodskap te stuur wat waar is, Hy het vir ons nuwe lewe gegee, ons het die eerste en belangrikste geword van almal wat Hy nuut gemaak het.

Luister na die Woord van God en doen dit

21 Daarom moet julle heeltemal ophou om verkeerde en slegte dinge te doen. Julle moet tnederig wees en julle moet luister na die goeie boodskap wat God in julle harte gegee het. Dit is die boodskap wat vir julle kan red.
22 Julle moet doen wat God vir julle sê. As julle luister na sy boodskap, maar julle doen nie wat Hy sê nie, dan tbedrieg julle julleself. 23 Want wanneer iemand luister na God se boodskap en hy doen nie wat God sê nie, dan is hy soos ’n mens wat in ’n spieël na sy eie gesig kyk. 24 Wanneer hy homself in die spieël gesien het en hy gaan weg, dan vergeet hy dadelik hoe hy gelyk het.

25 Maar iemand is gelukkig wanneer hy goed luister na die wette van God, die wette wat heeltemal reg is en wat ’n mens vry kan maak. As so iemand aanhou luister, dan vergeet hy nie wat hy gehoor het nie, nee, hy doen dit. En so ’n mens sal regtig gelukkig wees omdat hy doen wat die wette van God sê.
26 As iemand dink dat hy vir God dien maar hy dink nie voordat hy praat nie, dan bedrieg hy homself, en dan beteken sy godsdiens niks. 27 Die regte en die trein manier om vir God die Vader te dien, is dit: Jy moet sorg vir weeskinders en vir weduwees wat swaarkry. En ’n mens moenie dat hierdie sondige wêreld jou tonrein laat word sodat jy slegte dinge doen nie.

James 1

1 I, James, am writing this letter. I serve God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I am sending this letter to you, the 12 tribes that are scattered among the nations.
Greetings.

Facing All Kinds of Trouble

2 My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy.3 Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.4 The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.
5 If any of you need wisdom, ask God for it. He will give it to you. God gives freely to everyone. He doesn't find fault.
6 But when you ask, you must believe. You must not doubt. People who doubt are like waves of the sea. The wind blows and tosses them around.7 A man like that shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord.8 He can't make up his mind. He can never decide what to do.
9 A believer who finds himself in a low position in life should be proud that God has given him a high position.10 But someone who is rich should take pride in his low position. That's because he will fade away like a wild flower.
11 The sun rises. Its burning heat dries up the plants. Their blossoms fall. Their beauty is destroyed. In the same way, a rich person will fade away even as he goes about his business.
12 Blessed is the man who keeps on going when times are hard. After he has come through them, he will receive a crown. The crown is life itself. God has promised it to those who love him.
13 When you are tempted, you shouldn't say, "God is tempting me." God can't be tempted by evil. And he doesn't tempt anyone.
14 But your own evil longings tempt you. They lead you on and drag you away.15 When they are allowed to grow, they give birth to sin. When sin has grown up, it gives birth to death.
16 My dear brothers and sisters, don't let anyone fool you.17 Every good and perfect gift is from God. It comes down from the Father. He created the heavenly lights. He does not change like shadows that move.
18 God chose to give us new birth through the message of truth. He wanted us to be the first and best of everything he created.

Listen to the Word and Do What It Says

19 My dear brothers and sisters, pay attention to what I say. Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry.20 A man's anger doesn't produce the kind of life God wants.
21 So get rid of everything that is dirty and sinful. Get rid of the evil that is all around us. Don't be too proud to accept the word that is planted in you. It can save you.
22 Don't just listen to the word. You fool yourselves if you do that. You must do what it says.
23 Suppose you listen to the word but don't do what it says. Then you are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror.24 After looking at himself, he leaves. Right away he forgets what he looks like.
25 But suppose you take a good look at the perfect law that gives freedom. You keep looking at it. You don't forget what you've heard, but you do what the law says. Then you will be blessed in what you do.
26 Suppose you think your beliefs are right because of how you live. But you don't control what you say. Then you are fooling yourselves. Your beliefs are not worth anything at all.
27 Here are the kinds of beliefs that God our Father accepts as pure and without fault. When widows and children who have no parents are in trouble, take care of them. And keep yourselves from being polluted by the world.