1 T his letter is from James. I am a servant owned by God and the Lord Jesus Christ. I greet the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation living in many parts of the world. Take Hope When Tests Come

مِنْ يَعقُوبَ عَبْدِ اللهِ وَالرَّبِّ يَسُوعَ المَسِيحِ، إلَى شَعبِ اللهِ المُشَتَّتِ فِي كُلِّ مَكانٍ. الإيمانُ وَالحِكْمَة

2 M y Christian brothers, you should be happy when you have all kinds of tests.

أيُّها الإخوَةُ، عِندَما تُواجِهُونَ أنواعاً كَثِيرَةً مِنَ التَّجارِبِ، اعتَبِرُوا ذَلِكَ دافِعاً إلَى أنْ تَفرَحُوا كُلَّ الفَرَحِ.

3 Y ou know these prove your faith. It helps you not to give up.

وَذَلِكَ لِأنَّكُمْ تَعلَمُونَ أنَّ امتِحانَ إيمانِكُمْ يُوَلِّدُ فِيكُمُ الصَّبرَ.

4 L earn well how to wait so you will be strong and complete and in need of nothing.

فَحافِظُوا عَلَى هَذا الصَّبرِ إلَى النِّهايَةِ، لِكَي يَنتُجَ عَمَلَهُ الكامِلَ فِيكُمْ، فَتَصِيرُوا ناضِجِينَ وَكامِلِينَ، لا يَنقُصُكُمْ شَيءٌ.

5 I f you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking.

وَإنْ كانَ أحَدُكُمْ تَنقُصُهُ الحِكْمَةُ، فَلْيَطلُبْها مِنَ اللهِ فَتُعْطَى لَهُ. فَاللهُ يُعطِي جَمِيعَ النّاسِ بِسَخاءٍ وَلا يُعَيِّرُهُمْ.

6 Y ou must have faith as you ask Him. You must not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like a wave which is pushed around by the sea.

لَكِنْ عَلَيهِ أنْ يَطلُبَ بِإيمانٍ وَأنْ لا يَشُكَّ، لِأنَّ الَّذِي يَشُكُّ يُشبِهُ مَوجَ البَحرِ الَّذِي تَتَلاعَبُ بِهِ الرِّيحُ وَتَقذِفُهُ مِنْ جانِبٍ إلَى جانِبٍ.

7 S uch a man will get nothing from the Lord.

فَلا يَظُنَّ مِثلُ ذَلِكَ الإنسانِ أنَّهُ سَيَنالُ شَيئاً مِنَ الرَّبِّ.

8 T he man who has two ways of thinking changes in everything he does.

فَهُوَ إنسانٌ لا يَثبُتُ عَلَى أيِّ رَأيٍ، وَجَمِيعُ شُؤُونِ حَياتِهِ غَيرُ مُستَقِرَّةٌ. الغِنَى الحَقِيقِيّ

9 A Christian brother who has few riches of this world should be happy for what he has. He is great in the eyes of God.

عَلَى المُؤمِنِ الفَقِيرِ أنْ يَفتَخِرَ بِالمَكانَةِ الَّتِي رَفَعَهُ اللهُ إلَيها.

10 B ut a rich man should be happy even if he loses everything. He is like a flower that will die.

وَعَلَى المُؤمِنِ الغَنِيِّ أنْ يَفتَخِرَ بِالتَّواضُعِ الَّذِي مَنَحَهُ اللهُ إيّاهُ، لِأنَّ حَياتَهُ سَتَنتَهِي كَما تَذبُلُ أزهارُ الحُقُولِ.

11 T he sun comes up with burning heat. The grass dries up and the flower falls off. It is no longer beautiful. The rich man will die also and all his riches will be gone.

تُشرِقُ الشَّمسُ بِحَرارَتِها المُلتَهِبَةِ، فَتُحرِقُ الأعشابَ وَتُسقِطُ أزهارَها، وَيَتَلاشَى جَمالُها. هَكَذا يَذبُلُ الإنسانُ الغَنِيُّ وَهُوَ مُنشَغِلٌ فِي أعمالِهِ. التَّجارِبُ لَيسَتْ مِنَ الله

12 T he man who does not give up when tests come is happy. After the test is over, he will receive the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him. God Does Not Tempt Us

هَنِيئاً لِلإنسانِ الَّذِي يَحتَمِلُ التَّجرِبَةَ، لِأنَّهُ سَيَنالُ إكلِيلَ الحَياةِ عِندَما يَجتازُ التَّجرِبَةَ بِنَجاحٍ، الإكلِيلَ الَّذِي وَعَدَ بِهِ اللهُ جَمِيعَ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَهُ.

13 W hen you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone.

وَإذا تَعَرَّضَ أحَدٌ لِلتَّجرِبَةِ، لا يَنبَغي أنْ يَقُولَ: «هَذِهِ تَجرِبَةٌ مِنَ اللهِ.» لِأنَّ اللهَ لا تُغرِيهِ الشُّرُورُ، وَهُوَ لا يُغرِي بِها أحَداً.

14 A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do.

لَكِنَّ الإنسانَ يُجَرَّبُ بِسَبَبِ شَهوَتِهِ الَّتِي تَجذِبُهُ وَتُغرِيهِ.

15 W hen he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.

وَعِندَما تَحبَلُ الشَّهوَةُ، تَلِدُ خَطِيَّةً. وَعِندَما يَكتَمِلُ نُمُوُّ الخَطِيَّةِ، فَإنَّها تُؤَدِّي إلَى المَوتِ.

16 M y Christian brothers, do not be fooled about this.

أيُّها الإخوَةُ الأحِبّاءُ، لا تَنخَدِعُوا،

17 W hatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning.

فَكُلُّ عَطِيَّةٍ صالِحَةٍ وَكُلُّ مَوهِبَةٍ كامِلَةٍ، تَأْتِي مِنْ فَوقُ، أيْ مِنْ عِندِ الآبِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ أنوارَ السَّماءِ. وَعَلَى خِلافِ تِلكَ الأنوارِ، هُوَ لا يَتَغَيَّرُ كَظِلالِها المُتَقَلِّبَةِ.

18 H e gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word only because He wanted to. We are the first children in His family.

وَهُوَ قَدِ اختارَ أنْ يَجعَلَنا أولاداً لَهُ بِكَلِمَةِ الحَقِّ، لِنَكُونَ أهَمَّ خَلائِقِهِ. الاستِماعُ وَالطّاعَة

19 M y Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.

أيُّها الإخوَةُ الأحِبّاءُ، تَذَكَّرُوا ما يَلِي: عَلَى كُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنكُمْ أنْ يَكُونَ مُسرِعاً فِي الاستِماعِ، مُبطِئاً فِي الكَلامِ، وَمُبطِئاً فِي الغَضَبِ.

20 A man’s anger does not allow him to be right with God.

لِأنَّ غَضَبَ الإنسانِ لا يُؤَدِّي إلَى الحَياةِ الصّالِحَةِ الَّتِي يَطلُبُها اللهُ.

21 P ut out of your life all that is unclean and wrong. Receive with a gentle spirit the Word that was taught. It has the power to save your souls from the punishment of sin.

لِذَلِكَ تَخَلَّصُوا مِنْ كُلِّ خُبْثٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ يُحِيطُ بِكُمْ، وَاقبَلُوا بِوَداعَةٍ الكَلِمَةَ الَّتِي يَغرِسُها اللهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ، وَالقادِرُةَ عَلَى تَخلِيصِكُمْ.

22 O bey the Word of God. If you hear only and do not act, you are only fooling yourself.

اعمَلُوا دائِماً بِما يَقُولُهُ اللهُ، وَلا تَكتَفُوا بِسَماعِ كَلامِهِ، فَتَخدَعُوا بِذَلِكَ أنفُسَكُمْ.

23 A nyone who hears the Word of God and does not obey is like a man looking at his face in a mirror.

لِأنَّ مَنْ يَسمَعْ كَلامَ اللهِ وَلا يَعمَلُ بِهِ، يُشبِهُ شَخصاً يَنظُرُ إلَى وَجهِهِ فِي مِرآةٍ.

24 A fter he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like.

فَرَأىْ نَفسَهُ وَلَمْ يُغَيِّرُ بِها شَيئاً، ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ وَنَسِيَ ما رَآهُ!

25 B ut the one who keeps looking into God’s perfect Law and does not forget it will do what it says and be happy as he does it. God’s Word makes men free.

أمّا مَنْ يَتَمَعَنُّ فِي شَرِيعَةِ اللهِ الكامِلَةِ الَّتِي تُحَرِّرُنا، وَيُداوِمُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ دُونَ أنْ يَنسَى ما يَسمَعُ، بَلْ يَعمَلُ بِكَلامِ اللهِ، فَإنَّهُ يَكُونُ مُبارَكاً بِسَبَبِ ذَلِكَ. العِبادَةُ الحَقِيقِيَّة

26 I f a person thinks he is religious, but does not keep his tongue from speaking bad things, he is fooling himself. His religion is worth nothing.

إنْ ظَنَّ أحَدٌ أنَّهُ مُتَدَيِّنٌ، لَكِنَّهُ لا يُسَيطِرُ عَلَى لِسانِهِ، فَهُوَ يَخدَعُ نَفسَهُ، وَدِيانَتُهُ بِلا فائِدَةٍ!

27 R eligion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world.

فَالدِّيانَةُ الطّاهِرَةُ النَّقِيَّةُ فِي نَظَرِ اللهِ أبِينا تَتَضَمَّنُ ما يَلِي: أنْ يَعَتَني المؤمِنُ بِالأيتامِ وَالأرامِلِ فِي ظُرُوفِهِمُ القاسِيَةِ، وَأنْ يَحفَظَ نَفسَهُ مِنَ التَّلَوُّثِ الَّذِي فِي العالَمِ.