Misuse of Riches

¹Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of ^[a]Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have ^[b]fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and ^[c]put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

Exhortation

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until ^[d]it gets the early and late rains. ⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. ⁹ Do not ^[e]complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing ^[f]right at the ^[g]door. ¹⁰ As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the ^[h]endurance of Job and have seen the ^[i]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

¹² But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but ^[j]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, ^[k]anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer ^[l]offered in faith will ^[m]restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, ^[n]they will be forgiven him. ¹⁶ Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective ^[o]prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed ^[p]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ Then he prayed again, and the ^[q]sky ^[r]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that ^[s]he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.