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\v 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: greetings.
\v 2 Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you experience various troubles.
\v 3 You know that the testing of your faith works endurance.

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\v 4 Let endurance complete its work, so that you may become fully developed and complete, and so that you may lack in nothing.
\v 5 But if any of you needs wisdom, let him ask for it from God, the one who gives generously and without rebuke to all who ask, and he will give it to him. 

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\v 6 But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For one who doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven by the wind and tossed around.
\v 7 For that person must not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.
\v 8 Such a person is double-minded, unstable in all his ways.

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\v 9 Let the poor brother glory in his high standing,
\v 10 but the rich brother in his humility, because he will pass away as a wild flower in the grass.
\v 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat and dries up the grass. The flower falls off, and its beauty perishes. In the same way, the rich man will fade away in the middle of his activities.

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\v 12 Blessed is the man who endures testing. For after he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, which has been promised to those who love God.
\v 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," because God is not tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone.

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\v 14 Each person is tempted by his own evil desire, which drags him away and entices him.
\v 15 Then after evil desire conceives, it gives birth to sin. After sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. 
\v 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

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\v 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. It comes down from the Father of lights. With him there is no changing or shadow from turning. 
\v 18 God chose to give us birth by the word of truth, so that we would be some kind of firstfruit of all things that he created.

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\v 19 You know this, my beloved brothers: let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
\v 20 For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.
\v 21 Therefore put away all sinful filth and the abundance of evil. In humility receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

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\v 22 Be doers of the word and not only hearers, deceiving yourselves.
\v 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word but not a doer, he is like a man who examines his natural face in a mirror.
\v 24 He examines himself and then goes away and soon forgets what he was like.
\v 25 But the person who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and remains so, not just being a hearer who forgets, this man will be blessed in his doing it.

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\v 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, but if he does not control his tongue, he deceives his heart, and his religion is vain.
\v 27 Clean and spotless religion before our God and Father is this: to help the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself spotless from the world.