James 4
1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?
Where do wars and fights among you come from? Do they not come from your passions that wage war among your members?
2 You covet, and have not: you kill, and envy, and can not obtain. You contend and war, and you have not, because you ask not.
You desire but do not have. You murder and are jealous but cannot obtain what you want. You fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.
You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?
Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The spirit that dwells in us desires to the point of envy,
6 But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
but God gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.
Submit yourselves therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye 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 afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy into gloom.
10 Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11 Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. He who speaks evil against a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. Now if yoʋ judge the law, yoʋ are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.
There is only one lawgiver—he who is able to save and destroy. But who are yoʋ to judge another?
13 But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffic, and make our gain.
Come now, you who say, “Today and tomorrow let us go to such and such a city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”
14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.
You do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
15 For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and if we shall live, we will do this or that.
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, let us live and do this or that.”
16 But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
17 To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.
