## thinks himself to be religious  ##

"thinks he worships God correctly"

## control his tongue ##

"tongue" is a metonym. AT: "what he says." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

## he deceives ##

"fools" or "tricks" or "misleads"

## his heart ##

Here "heart" is a synecdoche meaning the whole person. AT: "himself." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

## his religion is vain ##

"his worship is worthless"

## Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this ##

AT: "This is the kind of religion that God will accept"

## Pure and undefiled ##

James expresses the same idea both positively and negatively to emphasize what true religion is like. AT: "Completely pure." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])

## the fatherless  ##

"those who do not have a father" or "the orphans"

## widows in their affliction  ##

the women who are suffering because their husbands have died

## to protect oneself the world's corruption  ##

To not allow the evil in the world to cause you to sin.