James 4

1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?

What causes wars and contentions among you? Is it not the cravings which are ever at war within you for various pleasures?

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 covet things and yet cannot get them; you commit murder; you have passionate desires and yet cannot gain your end; you begin to fight and make war. You have not, because you do not pray;

3 You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.

or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.

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.

You unfaithful women, do you not know that friendship with the world means enmity to God? Therefore whoever is bent on being friendly with the world makes himself an enemy to 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 suppose that it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "The Spirit which He has caused to dwell in our hearts yearns jealously over us"?

6 But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

But He gives more abundant grace, as is implied in His saying, "God sets Himself against the haughty, but to the lowly He gives grace."

7 Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.

Submit therefore to God: 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 make your hearts pure, you who are half-hearted towards God.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.

Afflict yourselves and mourn and weep aloud; let your laughter be turned into grief, and your gladness into shame.

10 Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Humble yourselves in the presence of 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 of one another, brethren. The man who speaks evil of a brother-man or judges his brother-man speaks evil of the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.

12 There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.

The only real Lawgiver and Judge is He who is able to save or to destroy. Who are you to sit in judgement on your fellow man?

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, you who say, "To-day or to-morrow we will go to this or that city, and spend a year there and carry on a successful business,"

14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.

when, all the while, you do not even know what will happen to-morrow. For what is the nature of your life? Why, it is but a mist, which appears for a short time and then is seen no more.

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 of that you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live and do this or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.

But, as the case stands, it is in mere self-confidence that you boast: all such boasting is evil.

17 To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.

If, however, a man knows what it is right to do and yet does not do it, he commits a sin.