1Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you.
2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.
3Your gold and your silver are rusted, and their rust will serve as a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in these last days.
4Look! The wages of the workers who mowed your fields, which you held back unfairly, are crying out. The shouts of those who harvested have reached the ears of the Lord of Armies.
5You have lived a life of luxury and pleasure on earth. You have fattened your hearts as if for a day of slaughter.
6You have condemned and murdered the innocent person. He does not fight back against you.
7So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord returns. See how the farmer waits for the valuable produce of the earth, patiently waiting for the early and late rains.
8You also need to be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord's coming is near.
9Do not complain against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you won't be judged. Look, the judge is standing at the door.
10Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering patiently and enduring.
11Indeed, we consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen how the Lord ultimately delivered him, showing that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear oaths—not by heaven, or by earth, or by any other oath. Just let your 'yes' mean 'yes,' and your 'no' mean 'no,' so that you don't fall into condemnation.
13Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
14Is anyone among you sick? He should call the elders of the church, and they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15And the prayer offered in faith will heal the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
17Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
19My brothers and sisters, if any of you strays from the truth and someone brings him back,
20know this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins.