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“Aloha!”

Aloha! Dis me, James, da guy dat work fo God an fo Jesus Christ, da Good Boss. I writing dis letta fo Godʼs peopo from da twelve Jewish ohana, dat stay scatta all ova da world.

You Like Know Wat Fo Do? Trus God!

My bruddas an sistas! Feel real good inside everytime you feel like you get hard time fo do wat God like you guys do. Cuz you know, afta you guys go thru all dat real hard time, an you guys still yet trus God, den dat goin make you guys hang in dea mo betta. Wen you guys hang in dea all da way, dat goin make you guys grow up an come mo strong inside, jalike you suppose to, so dat you guys no need notting moa.

If one a you guys donno wat fo do, aks God fo help, fo give you da smarts you need! He no goin give you guys hard time. He goin help you guys. God give plenny to everybody, you know. But if you goin aks him fo someting, you gotta trus him. No ack like you no can make up yoa mind. Da guy who not shua, he jalike one wave inside da ocean dat da wind stay blow all ova da place. Da bugga ack like he get two brains, you know. He everytime no can make up his mind da way he tinking bout doing tings. Dat bugga betta not tink he goin get someting from da Boss, cuz he not.

Da Poor Peopo an da Rich Peopo

Da brudda dat no mo notting, he can feel good inside, cuz he know dat wit God, he importan. 10 Da brudda dat stay rich, he can feel good inside too, cuz he know dat da rich kine stuffs he get, no goin stay foeva, an he goin mahke too, jalike da wild flower dry up. 11 Da sun go up an come real hot, an make da plant dry up. Den da flower fall down, an da plant no look nice no mo. Same ting fo da rich brudda -- he stay making his money, but still yet, he goin mahke.

All da Good Kine Stuff Come From God

12 Wen one guy hang in dea, no matta he get presha fo do someting bad, he can stay good inside. He goin get da kine life dat God wen promise to da peopo dat get love an aloha fo him. Dass jalike God give him da prize, cuz he wen fight da bad kine stuff, an win! 13 Wen you get presha fo do someting bad, an you tinking, “Eh, I like do dat!” no go say, “God da One making me do dat.” No mo nobody can make God do bad kine stuff, an even moa, he no goin make nobody do bad kine stuff. 14 Az our own fault wen we start fo tink, “Eh, I like do da bad kine stuff!” Cuz da bad tinking pull us all ova. We come jalike da fish dat go afta da bait. 15 Cuz first we tink, “Eh, I like do um,” an den we go do um. Jalike da hapai wahine too, she no can stop da baby wen ready fo come. Same ting, we no can stop doing da bad kine stuff. An dass wat goin cut us off from God.

16 Eh my good friends! No let nobody bulai you guys. 17 Everytime somebody give you someting nice an spesho, all dat come from yoa Fadda up dea inside da sky. He wen make all da lights inside da sky -- da sun, an moon, an stars. But God no change jalike da tings inside da sky. 18 God wen plan dis fo us: He tell us guys wass true. Az how he wen give us his kine life. From all da tings he wen make hea inside da world, he make us guys spesho kine, jalike us da bestes fruits, da kine dat da farma guy pick first fo make present to God.

Wen God Talk, You Betta Listen an Do Um!

19 Eh, my good friends! Rememba dis: You guys know dis stuff awready. Weneva you hear somebody talk, everybody gotta listen real good first befo dey talk. Dat way, dey no get all huhu quick time. 20 Cuz wen you come all huhu, dat no help you fo do da right kine stuff God say you suppose to do. 21 So den, throw out all da pilau kine stuff, an da bad kine stuff dat stay all ova da place. No get big head. Mo betta listen to wat God say. He wen put da tings he say inside you guys awready, an dass strong nuff fo take you guys outa da bad kine stuff you stay in.

22 An no ony listen to da tings God say, now. You guys gotta do um! Cuz if you ony listen, you ony fooling yoaself. 23 Da guy who ony like hear, an no like do notting, he jalike one guy dat check out his face inside da mirror. 24 An wen da guy go way, awready he no can rememba wat kine face he get. 25 But everyting God tell his peopo dey gotta do, dass perfeck, cuz dass wat can hemo you from all da bad kine stuff. So den, if you go check out real good da Rules from God, an no foget wat you wen hear, an stay do um, eh! you goin feel real good inside cuz you stay doing um.

26 If one guy figga he everytime do wat God like, but no can hold back his mout, his religion wase time, cuz he ony fooling himself! 27 God our Fadda, he tink lidis: Da guy dat stay religious fo real kine, an no do notting pilau, he da one goin kokua da peopo dat get hard time -- da kids dat no mo fadda o mudda, an da wahines dat no mo husban fo take care dem. Dat kine guy, he no goin let da peopo inside da world make him do bad kine stuff.

James,(A) a servant of God(B) and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes(C) scattered(D) among the nations:

Greetings.(E)

Trials and Temptations

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds,(F) because you know that the testing of your faith(G) produces perseverance.(H) Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature(I) and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God,(J) who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.(K) But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,(L) because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded(M) and unstable(N) in all they do.

Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.(O) 10 But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.(P) 11 For the sun rises with scorching heat(Q) and withers(R) the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.(S) In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial(T) because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life(U) that the Lord has promised to those who love him.(V)

13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own(W) evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin;(X) and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.(Y)

16 Don’t be deceived,(Z) my dear brothers and sisters.(AA) 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above,(AB) coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,(AC) who does not change(AD) like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth(AE) through the word of truth,(AF) that we might be a kind of firstfruits(AG) of all he created.

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters,(AH) take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak(AI) and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger(AJ) does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of(AK) all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you,(AL) which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.(AM) 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,(AN) and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.(AO)

26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues(AP) deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after(AQ) orphans and widows(AR) in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.(AS)

Footnotes

  1. James 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 16 and 19; and in 2:1, 5, 14; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19.