Study Desk

^(a)Come now, ^(b)you rich, ^(c)weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.

^(d)Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.

Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is ^(e)in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

Behold, ^(f)the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and ^(g)the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of ^(h)the Lord of ^[a]Sabaoth.

You have ⁽ⁱ⁾lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have ^[b]fattened your hearts in ^(j)a day of slaughter.

You have condemned and ^[c](k)put to death ^(l)the righteous man; he does not resist you.

Therefore be patient, ^(m)brethren, ⁽ⁿ⁾until the coming of the Lord. ^(o)The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until ^[d]it gets ^(p)the early and late rains.

^(q)You too be patient; ^(r)strengthen your hearts, for ^(s)the coming of the Lord is ^(t)near.

^(u)Do not ^[e]complain, ^(v)brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, ^(w)the Judge is standing ^[f](x)right at the ^[g]door.

As an example, ^(y)brethren, of suffering and patience, take ^(z)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

We count those ^(aa)blessed who endured. You have heard of ^(ab)the ^[h]endurance of Job and have seen ^(ac)the ^[i]outcome of the Lord's dealings, that ^(ad)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

But above all, ^(ae)my brethren, ^(af)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but ^[j]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

Is anyone among you ^(ag)suffering? ^(ah)Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to ^(ai)sing praises.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for ^(aj)the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, ^[k](ak)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

and the ^(al)prayer ^[l]offered in faith will ^[m](am)restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will ^(an)raise him up, and if he has committed sins, ^[n]they will be forgiven him.

Therefore, ^(ao)confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be ^(ap)healed. ^(aq)The effective ^[o]prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Elijah was ^(ar)a man with a nature like ours, and ^(as)he prayed ^[p]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for ^(at)three years and six months.

Then he ^(au)prayed again, and ^(av)the ^[q]sky ^[r]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

My brethren, ^(aw)if any among you strays from ^(ax)the truth and one turns him back,

let him know that ^[s]he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will ^(ay)save his soul from death and will ^(az)cover a multitude of sins.