Tiago 5

¹ GoHe denounces utter destruction to the wicked and profane rich men, and such as are drowned in their riotousness, mocking their foolish confidence when there is nothing indeed more vain than such things.to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you].

² Your riches are corrupt, and your garments are moth eaten.

³ Your gold and siluer is cankred, & the rust of them shalbe a witnesse against you, and shall eate your flesh, as it were fire. Ye haue heaped vp treasure for the last dayes.

⁴ Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into theThe Lord who is more mighty than ye are, hath heard them.ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

⁵ Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye haveYou have pampered yourselves.nourished your hearts, as in aThe Hebrews call a day that is appointed to solemn banqueting, a day of slaughter or feasting.day of slaughter.

⁶ Ye haue condemned and haue killed the iust, and he hath not resisted you.

⁷ He applies that to the poor, which he spoke against the rich, warning them to wait for the Lord's coming patiently, who will avenge the injuries which the rich men do to them.Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.The taking away of an objection: Although his coming seems to linger, yet at the least we must follow the farmer, we who do patiently wait for the times that are fitting for the fruits of the earth. And again, God will not postpone the least bit of the time that he has appointed.Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

⁸ Be ye also patient therefore and settle your hearts: for ye comming of the Lord draweth nere.

⁹ He commends Christian patience, for that which others through impatience use to accuse one another, the faithful on the other hand, do not complain though they receive injury.By grudging he means a certain inward complaining which indicates impatience.Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:The conclusion: The Lord is at the door and will defend his own and avenge his enemies, and therefore we do not need to trouble ourselves.behold, the judge standeth before the door.

¹⁰ Because most men will object, that it is good to repel injuries by whatever means, he contrasts that with the examples of the fathers whose patience had a most happy end, because God as a most bountiful Father, never forsakes his.Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

¹¹ Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen theWhat end the Lord gave.end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

¹² Because even the best men sometimes through impatience slip and speak oaths sometimes lesser, sometimes greater, the apostle warns us to detest such wickedness, and to accustom our tongues to simple and true talk.But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but letThat you have to say or confirm, speak or affirm without an oath, and that when you deny, deny it simply and flatly.your yea be yea; and [your] nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

¹³ He shows the best remedy against all afflictions, that is, prayers which have their place both in sorrow and joy.Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

¹⁴ He shows peculiarly, to what physicians especially we must go when we are diseased, that is, to the prayers of the elders, which then also could cure the body, (for so much as the gift of healing was then in force) and take away the main cause of sickness and diseases, by obtaining healing for the sick through their prayers and exhortations.Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him withThis was a sign of the gift of healing: and now seeing we have the gift no more, the sign is no longer necessary.oil in theBy calling on the name of the Lord.name of the Lord:

¹⁵ And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committedHe has reason in making mention of sins, for diseases are often sent because of sins.sins, they shall be forgiven him.

¹⁶ Because God pardons the sins of those who confess and acknowledge them, and not those who justify themselves. Therefore the apostle adds, we ought to freely confer with one another concerning those inward diseases, that we may help one another with our prayers.Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.He commends prayers by the effects that come of them, that all men may understand that there is nothing more effectual than they are, so that they proceed from a pure mind.The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

¹⁷ Helias was a man subiect to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rayne, and it rayned not on the earth for three yeeres and sixe moneths.

¹⁸ And he prayed againe, and the heauen gaue rayne, and the earth brought forth her fruite.

¹⁹ The taking away of an objection: all rebukes are not condemned, seeing that on the contrary there is nothing more acceptable to God than to call into the holy way, a brother that was wandering out of the way.Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and oneHas called him back from his way.convert him;

²⁰ Let him knowe that he which hath conuerted the sinner from going astray out of his way, shall saue a soule from death, and shal hide a multitude of sinnes.