1 No evil will befall the one who fears the Lord, but in trials such a one will be rescued again and again. 2 The wise will not hate the law, but the one who is hypocritical about it is like a boat in a storm. 3 The sensible person will trust in the law; for such a one the law is as dependable as a divine oracle. 4 Prepare what to say, and then you will be listened to; draw upon your training, and give your answer. 5 The heart of a fool is like a cart wheel, and his thoughts like a turning axle. 6 A mocking friend is like a stallion that neighs no matter who the rider is.

1 From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings! 2 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. 5 But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.