(Tap footnote to read it. Old Testament quotations are underlined. "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.1"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love". However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior. It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings. (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".) Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé". Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing. It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )
The wicked rich and their fate
- Come now you rich; weep, wailing over the miseries which are coming upon you.
- Your wealth has rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten.
- Your gold and silver has corroded, and their rust will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days.
- Behold, the wage of the workmen who harvested your fields, the man who has been defrauded by you, calls out; and the cries of the men who harvested have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts.
- You lived luxuriously on the earth, and lived self-indulgently; you fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
- You condemned and murdered the righteous; he doesn’t resist you.
- Therefore brothers, patiently persevere until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, patiently persevering for it until it receives the early and late rain.
- You also must patiently persevere. Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord *draws near.
Miscellaneous instruction
- Brothers, don’t internally groan against one another so you might not be judged. Behold, the Judge *stands before the doors.
- Brothers, as an example of affliction and patience perseverance, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
- Behold, we consider the men who persevered blessed. You heard of Job’s perseverance, and you saw the outcome of the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
- But before all things my brothers, don’t swear an oath; neither by heaven, nor the earth, nor any other oath. But let your yes be yes and your no be no, so you might not fall under judgement.
- Is someone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray. Is someone cheerful? Let him sing.
- Is someone among you sick? Let him summon the elders of the church and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord,
- and the prayer of faith will save the man being sick and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.
- Therefore, confess the sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you might be healed. A righteous man’s prayer is very powerful, accomplishing much.
- Elijah was a man of the same nature as us, and he prayed a prayer for it not to rain, and it didn’t rain on the land for three years and six months.
- And again he prayed, and the sky gave rain and the land grew its fruit.
- My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone returns him,
- let him know that the man who returned a sinner from his wandering path will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
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