The Gabriel Version
The Testimony of Yeshua
JAMES (Gabriel Version)
Introduction
James 1: From James, a servant of Yehovah, and of our Master Yeshua the Messiah, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion [diaspora] among the nations [1]. Greetings.
2 You should consider it a joy, my Friends, when you encounter many and varied trials,
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Allow perseverance to perfect her work so that you can become complete and perfect, lacking nothing.
5 If any of you needs wisdom, you should ask Yehovah for it, who gives freely to everyone. Without finding fault, it will be given to you.
6 But you must ask in faith, not wavering, because anyone who hesitates is like the waves of the sea that are driven by the wind.
7 A person [anthropos] like that shouldnt expect to receive anything from Yehovah.
8 A man who wavers is unstable every step of the the way.
9 The Friend in humble circumstances should rejoice in their high station,
10 and the rich in their humiliation, because they’ll pass away like the flowering herbs.
11 Just as the sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the herb, and its flowers fall off, and it’s beauty is destroyed. That’s how the rich fade away along the way.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, so that after he has passed the test, he’ll receive the crown of Life that Yehovah has promised to those who love Him.
13 No one being tempted should say, “I’m being tempted by Yehovah”, because Yehovah cant be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone to sin.
14 Everyone is tempted when they are seduced by their own cravings. They take the bait and are trapped.
15 When these cravings have conceived, sin begins to grow, and when sin has matured, it gives birth to death.
16 My dear Friends, make no mistake,
17 every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of Heavenly lights who is immutable, not even a shadow of change.
18 He chose to give us life by the Messenger of truth, so that we could be the firstborn [2] of His created beings.
19 My dear Friends, everyone should be quick to listen, and slow to speak, and even slower to get angry.
20 because human anger doesnt produce the righteousness of Yehovah.
21 So get far away from anything wicked, and humbly accept the truths that are begotten [or planted] in our nature, that are able to save your Lives.
22 We must act on the Word, and not be merely listeners who deceive themselves.
23 If anyone merely hears these truths but doesnt act on them, they’ll be like someone who sees their face in a mirror,
24 and fixates on how they look, but then goes away and forgets what kind person they are.
25 But anyone who looks into the perfect Torah of liberty, and doesnt forsake it, isnt someone who hears something only to forget it. Instead, they act on those truths and they’re blessed in their work.
26 If anyone thinks that they are serving Yehovah, but they cant control their tongue, they are deceiving themselves, their display of service is worthless.
27 Pure and dedicated ministry to Yehovah the Father means visiting the fatherless and widows in their distress, and keeping yourself unstained by the world.
[1] And you thought that Yehovah lost track of “the lost ten tribes”! [2] “Firstfruit” in Greek can mean either “firstborn” (firstling) or “firstfruit/s”, but it makes more sense for people to be born than to grow on trees.
James 2: Friends, dont claim to practice the magnificent faith of our Master Yeshua the Messiah while showing favoritism.
2 Suppose a man wearing gold rings or fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man with shabby clothing comes in.
3 If you pay special attention to the one wearing fine clothing, and tell him, “Sit in this prominent place”, but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there”, or “Sit here by my footstool”,
4 arent you discriminating and advocating depraved reasoning?
5 Listen my dear Friends! Didnt Yehovah choose the destitute of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the Kingdom that Yehovah promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have insulted the poor man. Dont the rich oppress you and drag you into court?
7 Dont they blaspheme the honorable name that you bear?
8 If you actually fulfill the Torah of Yehovah according to the Scriptures, “You will love your neighbor as yourself”, you’ll do well.
9 But if you show favoritism, you’re sinning, and you are exposed by the Torah as Torah breakers,
10 because whoever obeys the whole Torah, yet fails in one point is guilty of violating the whole Torah!
11 The One who said, “You must never commit adultery” also said, “You must never murder”. So if you dont commit adultery, but you murder, you have become someone who violates the Torah.
12 So speak and act as people who are going to be judged by the Torah of liberty.
13 There will be judgment without mercy for anyone who doesnt show mercy. But by mercy, you will be raised above judgment.
14 What is the use, Friends, if a man says, “I have faith”, but he doesnt have any works? Can his faith resurrect him to Life?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace! Stay warm, and eat well”. If you dont provide for their bodily needs, what good is that?
17 So faith all by itself, unaccompanied by works, is dead.
18 But someone might argue, “You have faith and I have works”. Show to me your faith without any works, and I’ll show you my faith by my works!
19 So you believe that there is one Aloha. You’re doing fine, but the demons also believe that, and tremble.
20 Dont you want to know, you spiritually destitute person, that faith without works is dead!
21 Wasnt Abraham our ancestor proven righteous by works in offering his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith enabled his works, and as a result of works, his faith was perfected?
23 The Scripture was fulfilled that said, “Abraham believed in Yehovah, and this is why he was considered to be righteous”. He was even called Yehovah’s Friend.
24 So you see that people are deemed to be righteous by works, and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way Rahab the harlot was deemed to be righteous by works when she was hospitable to the spies and sent them off in a different direction.
26 A body without the spirit is dead, just as faith without works is dead.
James 3: Friends, not many of you should become teachers, knowing that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
2 We all make mistakes in many ways. Someone who doesnt make mistakes in his speech is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
3 We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them submissive to us, and we can turn their whole body around.
4 And when strong winds drive huge ships, they are also turned around by a small rudder at the whim of the helmsman.
5 The tongue is also a small thing that boasts of great things, and little sparks set ablaze huge forests.
6 The tongue is also a fire, and the sinful world is like a forest. The tongue is one of our body parts that defiles our whole body, and it inflames successive generations that roll on like a wheel, and is itself set on fire [1].
7 All kinds of animals and birds and reptiles in the sea and on land have been subjected to human nature.
8 But no one has been able to tame the tongue. It’s an unrestrained evil thing, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless the Master and Father, and with it we curse people who were made in Yehovah’s image.
10 From the same mouth comes curses and blessings. Friends, this should not be the situation.
11 Can both fresh and ‘salt’ water flow from an artesian well?
12 Or Friends, can a fig tree produce olives, or a vine produce figs? So ‘salt’ water cant accompany fresh [2].
13 Which of you is wise and experienced? They should show it by good behavior and modest wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy or self-promoting partisanship seeking control, dont be arrogant about it or deny the truth.
15 This mindset doesnt come down from above, it is worldly, rationalistic and demonic.
16 Wherever there is envy and self-promoting ambition, there is also disorder and every kind of evil.
17 But the wisdom that comes from above is pure and peaceful, gentle and submissive, full of compassion and of good ‘deeds’, without partiality and hypocrisy.
18 A ‘harvest’ of righteousness is sown in the cultivated land [3] of those who make peace.
[1] The Greek adds “in Gehenna”. [2] In this instance I believe that the Aramaic to English translation is weak. Presumably the Aramaic’s ‘bitter’ water is salt water. Greek doesnt imply that salt water cant be distilled into “sweet”, [glukus gloo-koos’] or fresh. [3] See why this says “cultivated land” instead of “peace”. Keyword cultivated.
James 4: Where do the disputes and conflicts among you come from? Dont they come from the lusts at war within you?
2 You want things that arent yours, so you murder and envy and still nothing comes of it. So you fight and quarrel and you still dont have anything because you dont ask for it!
3 And when you do ask, you dont get anything because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you can squander it on your passions.
4 You adulterers, dont you know that befriending this hostile world is being in opposition to Yehovah? Anyone who wants to befriend this world is an enemy of Yehovah.
5 Or do you think the Scriptures say, “The human spirit [1] living in us lusts with envy”, for no reason?
6 But our Master has given us more compassion. So he said, “The Master humbles the arrogant, but gives merciful kindness to the humble”.
7 Submit yourselves to Yehovah. Resist Satan and he will flee from you.
8 Come near to Yehovah and He’ll come near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and dedicate your minds, you ambivalent.
9 Be miserable and mourn aloud. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into sorrow.
10 Humble yourselves before Yehovah and He will exalt you.
11 Friends, dont slander each other, because anyone who slanders another believer or condemns another believer slanders the Torah and judges the Torah. If you judge the Torah you arent obeying the Torah, you’re judging it.
12 There is one Torah giver and Judge, the One who creates life or destroys it. So who are you to be judging your neighbor?
13 But what is our response to those who say, “Today or tomorrow we’ll go to such and such a city and stay there a year, doing business and making money”.
14 They dont know what will happen tomorrow. What is our life? You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then disappears.
15 They should be saying, “If Yehovah wants it and we live, we will do this or that”.
16 They brag in their arrogance. All such bragging is evil.
17 A person who knows what is right, but doesnt do it is is guilty of sin.
[1] Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in mortal mankind, and the breath of Shadday [Aloha] gives us consciousness. WE
James 5: You rich people will wail and cry about the miseries that are coming to you.
2 Your wealth is spoiled and stinking and your clothing is moth-eaten.
3 Your gold and your silver are tarnished, and their tarnish will be a testimony against you, and it will eat your body. Your are accumulating fire [1] for yourselves for the last days.
4 The wages you refused to pay the laborers who harvested your fields cries out, and the cries of the harvesters has reached the ears of Yehovah of armies.
5 You’ve lived in luxury on earth, living for pleasure, fattening yourselves for the day of slaughter.
6 You’ve condemned and murdered the righteous who werent resisting you.
7 But Friends, be patient until the arrival of the Master. Be like the farmer who waits for the precious harvest of his ground, patiently waiting for the early and the latter rain.
8 Be just as patient, and strengthen your minds, because the arrival of our Master is near.
9 Friends, dont complain about each other, or you’ll be condemned, because the Judge is standing at the door!
10 Friends, take for example the prophets who spoke in the name of Yehovah. They patiently endured suffering unjustly.
11 We consider those who have endured suffering to have been blessed. You’ve heard of the patience of Job, and you’ve seen the results of what Yehovah did for him, because Yehovah is merciful and compassionate.
12 But above everything Friends, dont swear, either by Heaven or by earth, or any kind of oath. Your Yes” should be “Yes”, and your “No”, “No”, or you could be condemned.
13 If any of you are suffering you should pray. Anyone who is cheerful should sing psalms.
14 If anyone is sick, they should call for the elders [2] of the assembly, and they should pray for them, anointing them with oil in the name of our Master.
15 The prayer of faith will restore the sick to health, and Yehovah will raise them up from their death bed, and if they’ve committed any sins, the sins will be disregarded.
16 Confess your shortcomings to each other, and pray for each other, so that you can be healed, because there is great power [energeo] in the prayers of righteous people.
17 Elijah was also a man with feelings and passions like ours. He prayed that that it wouldnt rain on the land, and it didnt ‘rain’ for three years and six months.
18 He prayed again and the sky produced rain and the land produced its crops.
19 Friends, if one of you strays from the Way of truth, and someone brings them back,
20 they should understand that whoever turns a sinner from their wandering will Rescue their lives [psuche (psyche)] from destruction and cover a great many sins.
[1] The Greek says the rich are accumulating “treasure”, not “fire”, for the last days. Care to bet on that? [2] The primary meaning of elders isnt an office or rank, they are recognized “olders”, older and wiser in the faith.
End of the letter of James the envoy
1 & 2 PETER are next.
Compare the 2010, Second Edition of the Gabriel Version’s James with the 1851 Murdock Translation of James, or compare it with the 1849 Etheridge.
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