James 4

1 What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies?

Whence wars and fightings among you? Do they not come hence, even from your lusts, which war in your members?

2 You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it.

You strongly desire, and have not; you kill, and are zealous, and can not obtain. You fight and war, but have not, because you ask not.

3 You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure.

You ask, and do not receive, because you ask wickedly, that you may spend upon your lusts.

4 O you who are false to God, do you not see that the friends of this world are not God's friends? Every man desiring to be a friend of this world makes himself a hater of God.

Adulterers, and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity against God? Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is counted an enemy of God.

5 Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us?

Do you think that the scripture speaks in vain? And does the spirit, who dwells in us, strongly incline to envy?

6 But he gives more grace. So that the Writings say, God is against the men of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low before him.

But he gives greater favor. For it says, "God resists the proud, but gives favor to the humble."

7 For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to flight before you.

Therefore, be subject to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Make your hands clean, you evil-doers; put away deceit from your hearts, you false in mind.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you men of two minds.

9 Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.

Be exceedingly afflicted, and mourn, and weep; and let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sadness.

10 Make yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him.

Be humble in the presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge.

He who speaks against his brother, and condemns his brother, speaks against the law, and condemns the law. But if you condemn the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is only one judge and law-giver, even he who has the power of salvation and of destruction; but who are you to be your neighbour's judge?

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save, and to destroy. Who are you, that condemn another?

13 How foolish it is to say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this town, and be there for a year and do business there and get wealth:

Come, now, you who say, To-day, or to-morrow, we will go to such a city, and will abide there one year, and traffic in merchandise, and get gain;

14 When you are not certain what will take place tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist, which is seen for a little time and then is gone.

who do not know what shall be to-morrow. For what is your life? It is, indeed, a smoke, which appears for a little while, and then vanishes away.

15 But the right thing to say would be, If it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this and that.

Instead of which, you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil.

But now you boast in your proud speeches: all such boasting is evil.

17 The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Wherefore, to him who know how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.