James 4

1 From where [are] wars and fightings among you? [Is it] not from here, out of your passions warring in your members?

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 You desire, and do not have, [so] you murder; and you are zealous, and are not able to attain, [so] you fight and war; and you do not have, because of your not asking;

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 you ask, and you do not receive, because you ask badly, that you may spend [it] in your pleasures.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Have you not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whoever, then, may intend to be a friend of the world, he is designated [as] an enemy of God.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

5 Or, do you think that the Writing says emptily, “The Spirit that has dwelt in us yearns with envy,”

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 but [God] gives greater grace, for this reason it says, “God sets Himself up against proud ones, and He gives grace to lowly ones.”

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Be subject, then, to God; stand up against the Devil, and he will flee from you;

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 draw near to God, and He will draw near to you; cleanse hands, you sinners! And purify hearts, you split-souled!

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be exceedingly afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and the joy to heaviness;

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 be made low before the LORD, and He will exalt you.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

11 Do not speak against one another, brothers; he who is speaking against a brother, and is judging his brother, speaks against law, and judges law, and if you judge law, you are not a doer of law but a judge.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 One is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; you—who are you that judges the other?

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

13 Go, now, you who are saying, “Today and tomorrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain,”

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 who does not know the thing of tomorrow; for what is your life? For it is a vapor that is appearing for a little [while], and then is vanishing;

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

15 instead, you [ought] to say, “If the LORD may will, we will live, and do this or that”;

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 but now you glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;

But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

17 to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing [it], it is sin to him.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.