1 N a Hemi, na te pononga a te Atua, a te Ariki hoki, a Ihu Karaiti, ki nga hapu kotahi tekau ma rua e noho marara ana; Tena koutou.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad: Greetings ( rejoice)!

2 K iia iho, e oku teina, he mea hari nui ina taka koutou ki nga whakamatautauranga maha;

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.

3 E matau ana hoki koutou, ko te whakamatautauranga o to koutou whakapono hei mahi i te manawanui.

Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

4 N a kia puta rawa te mahi a te manawanui, kia tino tika ai koutou, kia toitu ai, te hapa i tetahi mea.

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfectly and fully developed, lacking in nothing.

5 K i te hapa tetahi o koutou i te matauranga, me inoi ia ki te Atua, e homai nui nei ki te katoa, kahore hoki ana tawai mai; a ka homai ki a ia.

If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

6 O tira me inoi whakapono ia, kaua e ruarua. Ko te tangata ruarua hoki, tona rite kei te ngaru o te moana, e puhia ana e te hau, e akina ana.

Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.

7 K aua hoki taua tangata e mea, e whiwhi ia ki tetahi mea i te Ariki.

For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything from the Lord,

8 E kore te tangata ngakau rua e u i ana hanga katoa.

a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything.

9 K o te teina iti, kia whakamanamana ia i te mea ka whakanekehia ake ia:

Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation,

10 M e te tangata taonga ano, i te mea ka whakaititia: ka memeha atu hoki ia, ano he puawai tarutaru.

And the rich in being humbled, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away.

11 K o te putanga mai hoki o te ra me te hau wera ano, na, kua maroke te tarutaru, kua ngahoro tona puawai, a ngaro iho te atanga o tona ahua: ka pera ano te tangata taonga, ka memeha atu i ona haereerenga.

For the sun comes up with a scorching heat and parches the grass; its flower falls off and its beauty fades away. Even so will the rich man wither and die in the midst of his pursuits.

12 K a hari te tangata e u ake ana ki te whakamatautauranga: no te mea hoki ka oti ia te whakamatautau, ka whiwhi ia ki te karauna o te ora, kua whakaaria mai nei e te Ariki mo te hunga e aroha ana ki a ia.

Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.

13 K aua tetahi e mea ina whakamatautauria, E whakamatautauria ana ahau e te Atua: e kore hoki te Atua e taea te whakamatautau e te kino, e kore ano hoki ia e whakamatautau i tetahi:

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and He Himself tempts no one.

14 E ngari he mea whakamatautau te tangata, i a ia e kumea ana, e poaina ana e tona hiahia ake ano.

But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).

15 N a, i te haputanga o te hiahia, ka whanau ko te hara; a, i te otinga o te hara, ka whanau ko te mate.

Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.

16 K ei whakapohehetia koutou, e oku teina aroha.

Do not be misled, my beloved brethren.

17 N o runga nga homaitanga papai katoa, nga mea katoa e tino tika ana, he mea heke iho no te Matua o nga whakamarama, kahore nei ona putanga ketanga, kahore hoki he atarangi o te tahuri.

Every good gift and every perfect ( free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all light, in Whom there can be no variation or shadow cast by His turning.

18 N a tona hiahia ake ano tatou i whanau ai, he meatanga na te kupu o te pono, kia meinga ai tatou me he matamua mo ana mea i hanga ai.

And it was of His own will that He gave us birth by Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

19 K ei te mohio koutou ki tenei, e oku hoa aroha, kia hohoro nga tangata katoa ki te whakarongo, kia puhoi ki te korero, kia puhoi kite riri:

Understand, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.

20 E kore hoki ta te Atua tika e mahia e to te tangata riri.

For man’s anger does not promote the righteousness God.

21 H eoi me whakarere katoa atu nga tikanga poke, me te hara e hua tonu nei, me tahuri marire ki te kupu kua oti te whakato iho; e taea hoki e tenei te whakaora o koutou wairua.

So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted contains the power to save your souls.

22 H ei kaimahi ano koutou i te kupu, kaua hei kaiwhakarongo anake, kei tinihangatia koutou e koutou ano.

But be doers of the Word, and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves.

23 K i te mea hoki he kaiwhakarongo tetahi i te kupu, ehara nei i te kaimahi, he rite ia ki te tangata e matakitaki ana ki tona kanohi maori i roto i te whakaata:

For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his natural face in a mirror;

24 I tona matakitakinga hoki i a ia ano, haere ana, wareware tonu ake he ahua pehea ranei tona.

For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like.

25 T ena ko te tangata e ata titiro iho ana ki te ture tino tika, ki te mea herekore, a ka u tonu, he kaiwhakarongo ano ia e kore e wareware, engari e mahi ana i te mahi, e hari ano tenei i tana mahi.

But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer, he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).

26 K i te mea he ahua karakia to tetahi i roto i a koutou, ki te kore e parairetia e ia tona arero, he tinihanga hoki tana ki tona ngakau, he maumau karakia tana.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person’s religious service is worthless (futile, barren).

27 K o te karakia pono, ko te mea pokekore ki te aroaro o te Atua matua, ko ia tenei, Ko te tirotiro i nga pani i nga pouaru i o ratou mate, ko te tiaki i a ia ake kei poke i te ao.

External religious worship '> religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.