Dual PanelSelfish Rich People Will Be Punished
1You rich people, listen! Cry and be very sad because much trouble will come to you.
2Your riches will rot and be worth nothing. Your clothes will be eaten by moths.
3Your gold and silver will rust, and that rust will be a proof that you were wrong. That rust will eat your bodies like fire. You saved your treasure in the last days.
4People worked in your fields, but you did not pay them. Those people are crying out against you. Those people harvested your crops. Now the Lord (God) of heaven’s armies
5Your life on earth was full of rich living. You pleased yourselves with everything you wanted. You made yourselves fat, {like an animal ready} for the day of slaughter.
6You showed no mercy to good people. They were not against you, but you killed them.
Be Patient
7Brothers and sisters, be patient; the Lord {Jesus} will come. So be patient until that time. Farmers are patient. A farmer waits for his valuable crop to grow up from the earth. A farmer waits patiently for his crop to receive the first rain and the last rain.
8You must be patient, too. Don’t stop hoping. The Lord {Jesus} is coming soon.
9Brothers, and sisters, don’t complain against each other. If you don’t stop complaining, you will be judged guilty. And the Judge is ready to come!
10Brothers and sisters, follow the example of the prophets
11We say that those people who accepted their troubles with patience now have God’s blessing. You have heard about Job’s patience.
Be Careful What You Say
12My brothers and sisters, it is very important that you not use an oath when you make a promise. Don’t use the name of heaven, earth, or anything else to prove what you say. When you mean yes, say only “yes.” When you mean no, say only “no.” Do this so that you will not be judged guilty.
The Power of Prayer
13Are you having troubles? You should pray. Are you happy? You should sing.
14Are you sick? You should call the church’s elders.
15The prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will heal that person. And if that person has sinned, then God will forgive those sins.
16Always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. When a good person prays hard, great things happen.
17Elijah
18Then Elijah prayed that it would rain. And the rain came down from the sky, and the land grew crops again.
Helping People When They Sin
19My brothers and sisters, one of you may wander away from the truth. And another person may help him come back to the truth.
20Remember this: Any person who brings a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner from death (hell). By doing this, that person will cause many sins to be forgiven.