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The General Epistle of James

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- Chapter 5 -

(Proverbs 23:1–5; 1 Timothy 6:17–19)
1
Act now, you who are wealthy! Weep and wail in your miseries, which will soon come upon you!
2
Your riches have been corrupted, and your garments have been eaten by moths.
3
Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be a testimony against you, and it will eat away at your flesh like fire. You have stored up wrath for yourselves unto the last days.
4
Consider the pay of the workers who reaped your fields: it has been misappropriated by you; it cries out. And their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
5
You have feasted upon the earth, and you have nourished your hearts with luxuries, unto the day of slaughter.
6
You led away and killed the Just One, and he did not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

(Job 1:1–5)
7
Therefore, be patient, brothers, until the advent of the Lord. Consider that the farmer anticipates the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently, until he receives the early and the late rains.(a)
8
Therefore, you too should be patient and should strengthen your hearts. For the advent of the Lord draws near.
9
Brothers, do not complain against one another, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge stands before the door.
10
My brothers, consider the Prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of departing from evil, of labor, and of patience.
11
Consider that we beatify those who have endured. You have heard of the patient suffering of Job. And you have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
12
But before all things, my brothers, do not choose to swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor in any other oath. But let your word ‘Yes’ be yes, and your word ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

The Prayer of Faith

13
Is any of you sad? Let him pray. Is he even-tempered? Let him sing psalms.(b)
14
Is anyone ill among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.(c) (d)
15
And a prayer of faith will save the infirm, and the Lord will alleviate him. And if he has sins, these will be forgiven him.
16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be saved. For the unremitting prayer of a just person prevails over many things.(e)
17
Elijah was a mortal man like us, and in prayer he prayed that it would not rain upon the earth. And it did not rain for three years and six months.(f)
18
And he prayed again. And the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Restoring a Sinner

19
My brothers, if anyone of you strays from the truth, and if someone converts him,
20
he ought to know that whoever causes a sinner to be converted from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

(a)5:7 The early and the late rains figuratively represent the first and second parts of the tribulation, each of which bears the fruit of holiness and of the spread of the Gospel after a time of suffering.(Conte)
(b)5:13 When one is sad, praying lifts one up out of sadness. When one is calm, singing psalms lifts one up again, to exultation. The expression ‘aequo amino’ refers to a calm and level mood. The word ‘psallat’ is not merely singing but the singing of hymns and psalms.(Conte)
(c)5:14 The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can forgive sins.(Conte)
(d)5:14 Let him bring in, etc:See here a plain warrant of scripture for the sacrament of extreme unction, that any controversy against its institution would be against the express words of the sacred text in the plainest terms.(Challoner)
(e)5:16 Confess your sins one to another:That is, to the priests of the church, whom (ver.14) he had ordered to be called for, and brought in to the sick; moreover, to confess to persons who had no power to forgive sins, would be useless. Hence the precept here means, that we must confess to men whom God has appointed, and who, by their ordination and jurisdiction, have received the power of remitting sins in his name.(Challoner)
(f)5:17 This drought of three and one half years was a foreshadowing of the drought which will occur throughout the whole world during the last half of the Antichrist’s reign (3.5 years). At that time, the two prophets of Revelation will strike the earth with a terrible drought by a word of prayer to God. The repetition in the phrase ‘oratione oravit’ indicates an intensification of the verb; i.e. he prayed intensely.(Conte)
(Proverbs 23:1–5; 1 Timothy 6:17–19)
1
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.
2
Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten.
3
Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days.
4
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.(a)
5
You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6
You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.

Patience in Suffering

(Job 1:1–5)
7
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain.
8
You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9
Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.
10
Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11
Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12
But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear— not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.(b)

The Prayer of Faith

13
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
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 the Lord;
15
and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16
Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
17
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18
He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Restoring a Sinner

19
Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,
20
let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

(a)5:4 Greek: Sabaoth (or Hebrew: Tze’va’ot)
(b)5:12 TR reads “under judgment” instead of “into hypocrisy”
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