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Friday, January 2nd, 2026
the Second Friday after Christmas
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Read the Bible

Simplified Cowboy Version

James 5:19

Listen cowboys, if any fellow strays from the narrow trail and someone brings him back,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Intercession;   Regeneration;   Zeal, Religious;   Thompson Chain Reference - Conversion;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Backsliding;   Conversion;   Missionaries, All Christians Should Be as;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Backsliding;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Discipline;   Sin;   Holman Bible Dictionary - James, the Letter;   Security of the Believer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Abstinence;   Gain;   James Epistle of;   Sin;   Turning;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Conversion;   Err;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for May 19;   Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 8;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back,
King James Version (1611)
Brethren, if any of you doe erre from the trueth, and one conuert him,
King James Version
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
English Standard Version
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
New American Standard Bible
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back,
New Century Version
My brothers and sisters, if one of you wanders away from the truth, and someone helps that person come back,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
Berean Standard Bible
My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
Contemporary English Version
My friends, if any followers have wandered away from the truth, you should try to lead them back.
Complete Jewish Bible
My brothers, if one of you wanders from the truth, and someone causes him to return,
Darby Translation
My brethren, if any one among you err from the truth, and one bring him back,
Easy-to-Read Version
My brothers and sisters, if anyone wanders away from the truth and someone helps that person come back,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Brethren, if any of you hath erred from the trueth, and some man hath conuerted him,
George Lamsa Translation
My brethren, if any of you do err from the way of the truth, and some one converts him from his error,
Good News Translation
My friends, if any of you wander away from the truth and another one brings you back again,
Lexham English Bible
My brothers, if anyone among you should wander away from the truth and someone turns him back,
Literal Translation
If anyone among you goes astray from the truth, brothers, and anyone turns him back,
Amplified Bible
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God],
American Standard Version
My brethren, if any among you err from the truth, and one convert him;
Bible in Basic English
My brothers, if one of you has gone out of the way of the true faith and another has made him see his error,
Hebrew Names Version
Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
International Standard Version
My brothers, if one of you wanders away from the truth and somebody brings him back,Matthew 18:15;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
my brethren, if any of you shall err from the way of truth, and one shall convert him from his error,
Murdock Translation
My brethren, if one of you err from the way of truth, and any one convert him from his error;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Brethren, yf any of you do erre from the trueth, and another conuert hym,
English Revised Version
My brethren, if any among you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
World English Bible
Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Brethren, if any one among you err from the truth, and one convert him,
Weymouth's New Testament
My brethren, if one of you strays from the truth and some one brings him back,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And, britheren, if ony of you errith fro trewthe, and ony conuertith hym,
Update Bible Version
My brothers, if any among you errs from the truth, and one converts him;
Webster's Bible Translation
Brethren, if any one of you should err from the truth, and one should convert him;
New English Translation
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,
New King James Version
Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
New Living Translation
My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back,
New Life Bible
My Christian brothers, if any of you should be led away from the truth, let someone turn him back again.
New Revised Standard
My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
My brethren! If one among you be led to err from the truth, and one turn him back,
Douay-Rheims Bible
My brethren, if any of you err from the truth and one convert him:
Revised Standard Version
My brethren, if any one among you wanders from the truth and some one brings him back,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Brethren yf eny of you erre from the trueth and an other convert him
Young's Literal Translation
Brethren, if any among you may go astray from the truth, and any one may turn him back,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Brethren, yf eny of you erre fro the trueth and another conuert him,
Mace New Testament (1729)
My brethren, when any of you deviates from the truth, whoever sets him right, may be assured,
THE MESSAGE
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

Contextual Overview

12And one last thing, pards. Don't be swearing you'll do this or that. Just let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. 13Have any of you felt like life has bucked you off and stomped a mud hole in you? That fellow should pray. Is anyone feeling mighty blessed? Let loose in song! 14Is anybody feeling poorly? He should ask the leaders of the church to pray for him and they will rub some oil on his head in the name of the Lord. 15No sickness can stand against a faithful prayer. The Lord will then sit 'em tall in the saddle, ready to ride. The Lord is so good that even if that guy has been sinning, all of those sins will be thrown in the brush and forgotten. 16So if you've done some things you ain't proud of, go to another cowboy and tell 'em about it and your heart will no longer be heavy. A fellow who rides hard and straight, his prayers are strong and they get the job done. 17Shoot! Even Elijah was just a cowboy like us and he prayed God would stove-up the rains and it didn't rain for three and a half years. 18Then he hit his knees and prayed and God turned the water back on. Them dry pastures drank deeply and grew once again. 19Listen cowboys, if any fellow strays from the narrow trail and someone brings him back, 20he should know that he has saved him from being drug to the fire. There ain't nothing better you can do for a man than to bring him back to the One who does the forgivin' of sins.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

err: Psalms 119:21, Psalms 119:118, Proverbs 19:27, Isaiah 3:12, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Timothy 6:21, 2 Timothy 2:18, 2 Peter 3:17, Jude 1:11

and one: James 5:20, Ezekiel 34:4, Ezekiel 34:16, Matthew 18:15, Luke 22:32, Galatians 6:1, Hebrews 12:12, Hebrews 12:13, Jude 1:22, Jude 1:23

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 22:1 - Thou shalt Psalms 51:13 - converted Ezekiel 3:18 - to save Daniel 12:3 - turn Malachi 2:6 - and did Matthew 18:3 - Except Luke 17:3 - rebuke John 4:36 - he that reapeth receiveth John 12:40 - and be Acts 3:19 - be 1 Corinthians 5:5 - that 1 Corinthians 7:16 - O wife 1 Corinthians 9:19 - that 2 Thessalonians 3:15 - admonish 1 Timothy 3:1 - desireth Philemon 1:19 - how thou 1 Peter 3:1 - won

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth,.... Either from Christ, who is the truth, by departing from him, forsaking his ways, worship, and ordinances; or from the Scriptures of truth, not speaking according to them, and embracing notions that are contrary unto them; or from the Gospel, the word of truth, from the doctrine of faith, and from uprightness of life and conversation, after having made a profession of Christianity; for this is to be understood of one who has embraced the Christian religion, become a member of a church, and has walked in the path of truth and holiness, but now fallen into error, either in principle, or in practice, or both:

and one convert him; or turn him from his error, to truth again; for this designs not first conversion, or the turning of a sinner from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and from the evil of a man's heart and ways and from a dependence on his own righteousness, to the Lord Jesus Christ, to look to him for righteousness, life, and salvation, which is wholly and entirely God's work, and not man's; but conversion after backslidings; for a restoration from a fallen condition is sometimes so called,

Psalms 51:1 and which one brother may be an instrument of to another, by showing him, and setting before him, the evil of his errors, whether in principle or practice; and by instructing him in the doctrines of the Gospel, and in the duties of religion; and by reproving him in meekness, and according to the rules of Christ; which means are sometimes blessed for the gaining of such; and which may be called conversion: and also, this is sometimes done by praying for him; and which seems chiefly to be intended here; for from praying for the healing of the diseases of the body, the apostle proceeds to encourage the saints to pray for one another, for the healing of the diseases of the mind; and suggests, that if prayer avails to the one, it may to the other; and which is the most desirable, and the greatest blessing, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth - Either doctrinally and speculatively, by embracing error; or practically, by falling into sinful practices. Either of these may be called “erring from the truth,” because they are contrary to what the truth teaches and requires. What is here said does not appear to have any connection with what precedes, but the apostle seems to have supposed that such a case might occur; and, in the conclusion of the Epistle, he called their attention to the importance of endeavoring to save an erring brother, if such an instance should happen. The exhortation would be proper in addressing a letter to any church, or in publicly addressing any congregation.

And one convert him - This does not mean “convert him as a sinner, or regenerate him,” but turn him from the error of his way; bring him back from his wanderings; re-establish him in the truth, and in the practice of virtue and religion. So far as the word used here is concerned, ἐπιστρέψῃ epistrepsē he who had erred from the truth, and who was to be converted, may have been a true Christian before. The word means simply to turn, sc., from his way of error. See the notes at Luke 22:32.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 19. Err from the truth — Stray away from the Gospel of Christ; and one convert him-reclaim him from his error, and bring him back to the fold of Christ.


 
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