- 1Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
- 2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
- 3Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
- 4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
- 5Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
- 6Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
- 7Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
- 8Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
- 9Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
- 10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
- 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
- 12But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
- 13Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
- 14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
- 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
- 16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
- 17Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
- 18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
- 19Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
- 20Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
KING JAMES VERSION
JAMES 5
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CHAPTER VISUAL
James 5 — Unjust riches face judgment, while the suffering are called to patient endurance, truthful speech, fervent prayer, healing, and restoration.
About this illustration
The corrupted storehouse, laborers, patient farmer, rain, anointing, confession, and reconciliation form a disclosed composite. Judgment and illness remain non-graphic, while Elijah’s example is suggested by the returning rain rather than a separate portrait.
Scripture basis: James 5:1–20King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGEANCIENT TEXT CONNECTIONS 
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Related 1 Enoch Passages
These links distinguish direct quotation, explicit retelling, strong literary parallel, and broader shared tradition. A parallel does not by itself prove direct dependence.
Both pronounce woes on wealthy oppressors whose riches will fail and whose violence against the righteous is remembered for judgment.
Archaeological Evidence
Sermons
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In “The Offense of the Older Brother,” Kelsey examines the part of Jesus’ prodigal-son parable that is often overlooked: the elder son who remained in his father’s house but resented the restoration of his brother. Working primarily from Luke 15, she argues that outward faithfulness can coexist with anger, comparison, self-righteousness, jealousy, and a graceless heart. The older brother’s refusal to celebrate reveals the danger of evaluating another believer’s restoration, blessing, healing, or calling through personal disappointment rather than the Father’s compassion.
Doctrine and DiscernmentChristian LivingChurch and Ministry
View sermon The Great Whore (Part 2)
In The Great Whore (Part 2), Pastor Dean Odle argues that Jesus Christ is sufficient as Savior, high priest, intercessor, and the one mediator between God and humanity. Beginning with his own struggle, weakness, and need for grace, he contrasts biblical faith in Christ's blood with religious systems that, in his view, place Mary, saints, priests, sacraments, images, relics, or church tradition between the believer and Christ. First Timothy 2:5-6, Romans 3 and 5, Exodus 20, and Colossians 2 form the message's principal biblical foundation.
Mystery BabylonRoman Catholicism and the PapacyApostasy and DeceptionDoctrine and Discernment
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons