1 ¶ Come now, Oh ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Come now, you rich, weep aloud and lament over the miseries (the woes) that are surely coming upon you.

2 Y our riches are rotten, and your garments are motheaten.

Your abundant wealth has rotted and is ruined, and your garments have become moth-eaten.

3 Y our gold and silver is corrupted with rust; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall completely eat your flesh, as fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Your gold and silver are completely rusted through, and their rust will be testimony against you and it will devour your flesh as if it were fire. You have heaped together treasure for the last days.

4 B ehold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped your fields (which you have kept back by fraud) cries out; and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of the hosts.

look! the wages that you have withheld by fraud from the laborers who have reaped your fields, crying out; and the cries of the harvesters have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts.

5 Y e have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton; ye have refreshed your hearts, as in the day of slaughter of sacrifices.

on earth you have abandoned yourselves to soft (prodigal) living and to self-indulgence and self-gratification. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

6 Y e have condemned and murdered the just, and he does not resist you.

You have condemned and have murdered the righteous (innocent man), he offers no resistance to you.

7 B e patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently until it receives the early and latter rain.

So be patient, brethren, till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. he keeps up his patient over it until it receives the early and late rains.

8 B e ye also patient and confirm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near.

So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is very near.

9 C omplain not one against another, brethren, that ye not be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you may not be judged. Look! The Judge is standing at the very door.

10 T ake, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

an example of suffering and ill-treatment together with patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 B ehold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.

You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord’s end, inasmuch as the Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy.

12 ¶ But above all things, my brethren, do not swear by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no; lest ye fall into condemnation.

But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no be no, so that you may not sin and fall under condemnation.

13 I s anyone among you afflicted? let them pray. Is anyone happy? let them sing.

Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise.

14 I s any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the congregation; and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.

15 a nd the prayer of faith shall cause the one who is sick to be saved, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he shall be forgiven them.

And the prayer of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

16 C onfess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be whole. The effectual prayer of the righteous is very powerful.

Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available.

17 E lijah was a man subject to passions like unto ours, and he asked in prayer that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.

Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months.

18 A nd he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

And he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops.

19 B rethren, if any of you have erred from the truth, and someone should convert him;

brethren, if anyone among you strays from the Truth and falls into error and another brings him back,

20 l et that one know, that whosoever causes the sinner to convert from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins.

Let the one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins '> procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert].