James 1:1 kjv — James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

James 1:1 in the King James Version reads: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”

James 1:1 is found in the New Testament, in the book of James, chapter 1, verse 1.

James is traditionally attributed to James, half-brother of Jesus, leader of the Jerusalem church. It was written c. AD 44–49.

James is the New Testament's closest cousin to Old-Testament wisdom literature — pungent, practical, and uncompromising. Faith without works is dead. The tongue is a fire. The prayers of a righteous man avail much. It calls Christians to walk their talk.

James explores themes including Faith and Works, Wisdom, Speech, Suffering, Prayer. These themes shape the meaning and context of James 1:1.

James 1:1 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.

James 1:1 reads (KJV): “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.