Warning to Rich Oppressors
5 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. [Or yourselves as in a day of feasting] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise, you will be condemned.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
NOTES:
5:1–6 Continuing with the theme of the transitory character of life on earth, the author points out the impending ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven for judgment on their exploiters (Jas 5:4–6). The decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth, prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors (Jas 5:2–3).
5:6 The author does not have in mind any specific crime in
his readers’ communities but rather echoes the Old Testament theme of the harsh
oppression of the righteous poor (see Prv 1:11; Wis 2:10, 12, 20).
5:7–11 Those oppressed by the unjust rich are reminded of
the need for patience, both in bearing the sufferings of human life (Jas 5:9)
and in their expectation of the coming of the Lord. It is then that they will
receive their reward (Jas 5:7–8, 10–11; cf. Hb 10:25; 1 Jn 2:18).
5:7 The early and the late rains: an expression related to
the agricultural season in ancient Palestine (see Dt 11:14; Jer 5:24; Jl 2:23).
5:12 This is the threat of condemnation for the abuse of
swearing oaths (cf. Mt 5:33–37). By heaven or by earth: these words were
substitutes for the original form of an oath, to circumvent its binding force
and to avoid pronouncing the holy name of God (see Ex 22:10).
5:14 In case of sickness a Christian should ask for the
presbyters of the church, i.e., those who have authority in the church (cf.
Acts 15:2, 22–23; 1 Tm 5:17; Ti 1:5). They are to pray over the person and
anoint with oil; oil was used for medicinal purposes in the ancient world (see
Is 1:6; Lk 10:34). In Mk 6:13, the Twelve anoint the sick with oil on their
missionary journey. In the name of the Lord: by the power of Jesus Christ.
5:15 The results of the prayer and anointing are physical
health and forgiveness of sins. The Roman Catholic Church (Council of Trent,
Session 14) declared that this anointing of the sick is a sacrament “instituted
by Christ and promulgated by blessed James the apostle.”
5:20 When a Christian is instrumental in the conversion of a
sinner, the result is forgiveness of sins and a reinstatement of the sinner to
the life of grace.
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