< James 4 >
1 Whence [come] wars and whence fightings among you? [Is it] not thence, — from your pleasures, which war in your members?
Where do the conflicts and quarrels that go on among you come from? Do they not come from your passions which are always making war among your bodily members?
2 Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.
You continually crave and do not obtain; you are killing and coveting and cannot acquire; you are fighting and at war. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.
You continue to ask and do not receive, because you are asking with a wrong purpose, in order to spend it upon your pleasures.
4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.
You adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity to God? Whoever, then, desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself and enemy of God.
5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?
Or do you suppose that it is in vain that the Scripture says, "The spirit which has its home in us yearns over us unto jealousy?"
6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.
But he gives more and more grace. therefore it is said, God ever resists the proud; but to the humble he gives grace continually.
7 Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
So then ever be subject to God, Ever resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.
Draw near to God And he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, And purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.
Lament and mourn, and weep aloud! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, And your joy into gloom!
10 Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, And he will raise you up.
11 Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.
Do not be talking against each other, brothers. He who is talking against a brother and condemning his brothers is talking against the Law and condemning the Law. But if you are condemning the Law, you are not a doer of the Law, but a judge.
12 One is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou who judgest thy neighbour?
But One is your Lawgiver and Judge - he who is able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you, to be condemning your neighbor?
13 Go to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,
Go to now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we shall journey to such a city and spend a year there, and trade and make money,"
14 ye who do not know what will be on the morrow, ([for] what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing, )
when all the time you do not know what will happen on the morrow. For what is your life? You are but a mist, appearing for a brief time, and then vanishing.
15 instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.
You ought instead to say, "If the Lord wills it, we shall live and do this or that."
16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
But now you are glorying in these insolent boastings of yours; all such glorying is evil.
17 To him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.
So to him who knows how to do right and does not do it, to him it is sin.