1:1
I, Ya’akov, a servant of Elohim and my Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Mashiach), to the scattered Twelve, shalom to you.
1:2
You will be happy, yea, exceedingly joyful, my brothers, when you come into the hands of diverse trials and tests.
1:3
You are aware that in the examination of your faith, hope is created.
1:4
And hope will be a finished action for your sake, being peaceful in accord with truth, and to you there will be no deficit in anything.
1:5
If there exists any among you lacking wisdom (heart), he will ask for wisdom from the Giver to All, and it will be given to him absolutely in certainty, and without reproach.
And it (wisdom) was given to him.
1:6
But he will ask in faith and without doubt. For he that will settle with doubt resembles a wave on the sea; tossing, raging, and trembling of wind.
1:7
For do not let this man think he shall receive a verified gift of Yehovah.
1:8
A man with two hearts will wander as a vagabond in all his roads.
1:9
The lowly brother will be praised at his height.
1:10
And the rich will be made lowly;
He will pass like the flower of the grass.
1:11
For the rising sun dries out the grass;
Withers the flower, and destroys the appearance of its face:
Thus, the rich man harvests from his ways.
1:12
Happy is the man who ensures trials. For after his trials, he will take hold of the crown of life, which Yehovah promised to give to those who love Him.
1:13
A man, when he arrives at trials, shall not speak with his heart, saying:
“This trial is from Elohim.”
For the God (ha Elohim), when he [the man] is not proven to evil, truly He [the Elohim] does not test all men (adam).
1:14
God (Elah) will be wounded by means of the man; he [the man] will be enticed by the lust of his soul and be crushed following her [lust] path.
1:15
And lust is conceived, and gives birth to sin, and sin is completed. Lust begets death.
1:16
Do not err, my beloved brothers.
1:17
Every good endowment and every completed gift is from above;
It descends from the Father of Light which does not end (is not pressed out) in Him, neither variableness nor shadow of reversal.
1:18
He has begotten us by His will, with the Word of Truth;
So that we will be to Him firstborn of His creations.
1:19
Therefore my brothers, be every man (adam), quick to hear (fast of ears), slow to speak (slow of words), and slow to anger (slow of nostrils).
1:20
For the wrath of a man (adam) does not produce the righteousness of Elohim.
1:21
Therefore, remove from among you all uncleanness and predominant evil, and receive with humility the Word planted in your inner parts that will save your souls.
1:22
Please, be doers of the Word, and not hearers alone, deceiving yourselves (leading yourselves astray).
1:23
For he who will hear the Word, and will not do, he seems to expect a vision of his generations in a looking glass.
1:24
So, he observes his own essence, and will he excuse himself (pass over) and immediately forget who he is?
1:25
But anyone who observes himself by the whole Torah, which is the instruction of the Examiner, and stands in Torah,
Not hearing it [the Torah] in forgetfulness, for if he works the work, his happiness is in his actions.
1:26
Anyone who is well-known among you as holy (qadosh), and he will not restrain his tongue, his heart is led away, because his holiness is false holiness.
1:27
This is whole and pure holiness (qadosh) with God (the El) and the Father: to visit (remember) the fatherless, and the widows in distress, and to keep himself clean away from the world.
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Pure Holiness – Kadisha Temima is a well-used phrase in Judaism
2:1
My brethren, you who are of the faith our Lord Yeshua the esteemed Messiah, do not be respecters of persons.
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respecter of persons – (b’masa panim) in burden of faces
2:2
For if a man will come to your congregation with a gold ring on his finger, and a raiment shining like Venus (Novak);
Moreover, if another man comes who is poor wearing inappropriate (impure) piece of clothing;
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clothing – (b’beged tame) in clothing ritually impure
2:3
But you look to the master whose raiment shines like Venus (Novah), and you invite him, sit here in this choice place, But to the poor man command, You! Stand there! Or, sit down under my footstool here!
2:4
Will you not examine yourselves, and will you judge with wicked thoughts?
2:5
Hearken! Beloved brethren, has not Elohim chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith to inherit the Kingdom promised to those who love Him?
2:6
But you have put down the poor.
Will not the rich rule over you, by drawing you to the courts,
2:7
Will they revile the good name that is set upon you?
2:8
If you keep, guard and protect the King’s Torah as it is written, “You will love your neighbor and do good.”
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King’s Torah – (torat-h’melech) Torah of the King
2:9
But if you favor one person above another you will sin, and you will prove the Torah to yourself by hearing and doing.
2:10
For he who will keep, guard and protect the whole Torah and will pass over one of the commandments, he is guilty of all of them.
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the whole Torah – (mi sh’yishmor h’Torah kulah) he who will keep-guard-protect Torah all.
2:11
Because he who says he will not commit adultery is also the one who said he will not murder.
And if he does not commit adultery, and yet he will murder, he will have passed over the Torah.
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passed over Torah – (avarta al h’Torah) passed beyond on Torah. Passing beyond the Law has the meaning of transgressing.
2:12
So, speak and so do like those prepared to be judged by the Torah of the Examiner!
2:13
For judgement shall be without mercy to him who was not merciful,
And the mercy itself will be praised in the presence of the judgement.
2:14
What does it benefit, my brethren, if a man (adam) says, “I am a master of faith,” and he is not a master of actions? Will faith save him?
2:15
Indeed, if a brother or a sister is poorly clothed and has no bread,
2:16
And one of you said to them, “Go, be warmed and be filled,” but not give them what their bodies need, then what benefit is there?
2:17
Moreover, in truth, when faith is without good actions, faith in itself does.
2:18
If you will say, “You are the master of faith, and I am the master of deeds,”
I will determine your faith from your actions, and I will declare my faith from my actions.
2:19
You believe that Elohim is One. You did well. Will not demons also believe and become angry?
2:20
Will you wish to know, O man, son of vanity, that faith dies without action?
2:21
Our father Abraham, was he not righteous through his actions in having offered up his son Isaac upon the altar?
2:22
Do you not see how faith assisted his actions, and his actions made faith complete?
2:23
Will the Scripture be true which says, “Abraham believed in Yehovah”? Will righteousness be reckoned unto him? Will the love of Elohim come upon him?
2:24
When everything is concluded (pressed out), then the man (adam) is righteous from actions, and not by faith alone.
2:25
And I’m the same way, was not Rahab the prostitute also righteous when her actions of gathering the spies secretly to her home, and then sending them out another way?
2:26
Behold, just as the body is dead without the spirit, so your faith is dead without actions.
3:1
Do not be the many who teach, my brothers, because we know we will receive the harder judgement.
3:2
For all of us will wander astray by the great ones. And who does not stray in the Word is anyone who is clean (pure), that there is ability (to his hand) to restrain the whole body.
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great ones – (b’avur ki b’rabot to’im kulanu) for because + in the great ones + we wander + all of us. The word “rabbi” comes from the word “great” which is rav.
3:3
Behold, we will put bridles in the mouth of horses in order that they will hear us, and we turn all of its body.
3:4
Here is this as well, truly ships are also stretched very large, and they are blown away in the power of strong winds from all changing directions; with the tiller that is very small, the Great Captain (he who binds) will set in order the ships that have been carried away.
3:5
Thus, the tongue is a small organ (of our being), and it boasts even to excess. Behold, a little fire will burn fuel in a big way.
3:6
And the tongue is a fire, and a world of lies. Yes the tongue was placed in the midst of our organs which makes the whole body unclean; and it will ignite the natural (innate) manner, and its saltiness is from hell (Gehinnom).
3:7
Behold, all of nature, animals, and fowls and serpents, and they that are born in the sea, will be conquered, and also were conquered before by means of mankind’s nature.
3:8
But no man (adam) has the power to conquer the tongue, which is a villainous and evil thing, and is full of the poison of death.
3:9
By it [the tongue] we will bless Elohim, and by it we will curse the sons of Adam created in the image of the place (Makom).
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quoting from safaria.org and Dr. Jastrow – existence, substance; the Existence, the Lord. Gen. R. s. 68 in circumscribing the name of the Lord, why do we call Him Makom? Because He is the existence (preserver) of the world, but His world is not His existence…
3:10
From the one mouth will emerge both blessings and cursings. It is not appropriate, my brothers, for this to be.
3:11
Does one wellspring gush waters both pleasant and bitter?
3:12
My brothers, will you make the fruit of a fig tree, olives? Or of a grapevine, figs?
3:13
Who among you is wise and intelligent? He will announce his good actions on the way, by humility of wisdom:
3:14
But if you are men of bitter wrath, and quarrels are in your hearts, (then) you will not have respect compared to the truth and you will not deceive.
3:15
Since wisdom will not descend from faithlessness, because it descends from the earth, from the lusts of the soul, and from the demons.
3:16
For what comes from envying and quarreling? Truly also from him [the person quarreling] there is no steadfastness and every problem is evil.
3:17
And the wisdom descending from above, first you will be purified, and then you will be complete, and you will become humble in characteristics of good, also you will hear her (wisdom), and you will be filled with good fruits without evil thoughts and without flattery.
3:18
And the fruits of righteousness are sown in your perfect [completed] peace.
4:1
Where do the wars and quarrels between you come from? Are they not fought from the pleasures in the midst of your being (organs)?
4:2
You will lust and be nothing. You will hate and be hated, and not be able to acquire. You will quarrel and you will fight. Nothing will exist to you, because you will not ask.
4:3
You ask and do not receive. Why? Because you will ask without judgement; thus losing yourself in pleasures.
4:4
Do the adulterers and adulteresses not know that the love of the world is enmity with Elohim? All who desire to be loved by the world are an enemy to Elohim.
4:5
Do you think that it is said in vain what was written?
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Ps 37:8-17
4:6
Is it not written “He (Elohim) will give abundant grace.”
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Either the scribe missed a sentence when he wrote or another scribe added in Ps 3:34 in the margins which later got incorporated into the text.
4:7
Therefore shema (hear and obey)! Stand for Elohim in opposition to hasatan, and he will flee from before you.
4:8
Draw near to Elohim, and He will draw near to you! Cleanse your unclean hands! Purify your hearts! Be the master of your double heart.
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(lav v’lav) heart and heart
4:9
You will suffer, and you will grieve and you will lament. Your laughter will lamentation, and your joy, grief.
4:10
You will prostrate yourself before Yehovah and you will be exalted.
4:11
Do not slander, my brothers, about another man’s evil. For he that slanders and judges is the same as he that slanders and judges the Torah. And if you judge the Torah the same, you are not keeping the Torah, because if you judge, you become the Torah [the Law].
4:12
The Teacher’s powerful hand exists to save, and He is the one to destroy. And who are you to judge another?
4:13
Now, let those of us who say, “today and tomorrow, we will go to that marketplace” and there for one year, we will be hired and make a profit each year for gain.”
4:14
And behold, you do not know what tomorrow will be. For what are your lives? Indeed here, they are rising mists that will be perceived by few, and afterwards are nothing.
4:15
Will you say, “If Yehovah wills,” and we live like this and like that to act [in our own way]?
4:16
Behold, now your prayers are in your pride. All exultation like this is evil.
4:17
Therefore, he who knows the better path and he does not do so, this is to sin [miss the goal or path of right and duty] for him.
5:1
Now already you rich murmur about the oppressions and the threats from nights.
5:2
Will your wealth be sifted away? Will your clothes be good for moths?
5:3
Uncleanness (mildew) corrupts your money and gold, and it will be a testimony to you, and it will eat your flesh as fire. You will collect treasures for/in the Last Days
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In the Last Days – the committee believes this is a case of future perfect tense, context reveals this is likely prophecy.
5:4
Behold, the wages of your workers; the harvesters of your fields, who you did not pay; he will cry.
And the harvesters will cry and it will come to the ear of my Adonai of Tzva’ot [hosts or armies].
5:5
You have enjoyed yourselves on the surface of the land; you stink of putrefied death; your hearts have fattened like on the day of slaughter.
5:6
You convicted the righteous to be killed who is not standing against you.
5:7
Therefore, my brothers, fish (insert fishing rod) patiently (with long nostrils) until Yehovah’s coming. For behold, the farmer hopes for lush crops of the land in patience (with long nostrils), until he receives (early rain) in its time and the latter rain.
5:8
Indeed, await and strengthen your hearts, for the coming of Yehovah approaches.
5:9
My brothers, no one should grumble about evil, so that no one is convicted.
5:10
Take, for an example, the Prophets who endured troubles [and tragedies] and patiently (with long noses) spoke in the name of Yehovah.
5:11
Indeed, we will affirm those who are hopeful (though) in distress. You have heard of Job’s reservoir of hope, and at the end [of time], you will see/you have seen Him, Adonai. For Yehovah, He is great kindness and compassion (mercy).
5:12
Of all, my brothers, do not swear (an oath); not by the heavens, and not by the earth, and not by anything. Only let your words be yes, (meaning) yes, no, (meaning) no, so that when we arrive you will not fall void.
5:13
If any man (adam) among you will fast, he will pray. And if any man will rejoice, he will sing praise and make music.
5:14
If any man (adam) among you will fall ill, the assembly will summon the Cohanim, and they [the Cohanim] will pray over him, and they will anoint him with oil in the name of Yehovah.
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Cohanim are Hebrew priests from the line of Levi
5:15
And a prayer of faith will deliver from sickness and fulfill (make true) Yehovah. And if a leader (ba’al) makes a sin offering [on behalf of the one who is/was sick], he [the one who is sick] will have atonement granted to him.
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Leader – (ba’al) can be translated as leader or husband
5:16
Confess you’re errors, my brothers, to fellow believers, and you will pray on behalf of a fellow man so that you will be cured. For the righteous will pray a strong and very powerful prayer.
5:17
Eliyahu himself was also a man afflicted like us. And he will pray that it will not rain, and there is no rain (for) three years and six months.
5:18
And the heavens will give the rain and the earth will grow produce.
5:19
My brothers, when any man among you errs compared to the truth, and a friend will turn him back,
5:20
Certainly, he will know who will turn back sin from his mistake (error of the path) so he will rescue the soul from the hand of death, and will cover the great majority of sins.
End of Epistle
