Where does temptation come from?

¹Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”

²The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,

³but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

⁴The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die,

⁵for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.

⁷Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.

¹James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are in the Dispersion: Greetings.

²Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,

³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

⁴Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him.

⁶But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

⁷For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

⁸He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

⁹But let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position;

¹⁰and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.

¹¹For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits.

¹²Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.

¹⁴But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

¹⁵Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.

¹⁶Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers.

¹⁷Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

¹⁸Of his own will he gave birth to us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

¹Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

²When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.

³The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

⁵Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple,

⁶and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will put his angels in charge of you.’ and, ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘You shall not test the Lord, your God.’”

⁸Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory.

⁹He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me,Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”

¹¹Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and served him.

¹Now I would not have you ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

²and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

³and all ate the same spiritual food;

⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.

⁵However with most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

⁷Neither be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

⁸Neither let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.

⁹Neither let us test the Lord, as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents.

¹⁰Neither grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer.

¹¹Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.

¹³No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

³⁹He came out, and went, as his custom was, to the Mount of Olives. His disciples also followed him.

⁴⁰When he was at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation.”

⁴¹He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed,

⁴²saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

⁴³An angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.

⁴⁴Being in agony he prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.

⁴⁵When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples, and found them sleeping because of grief,

⁴⁶and said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”