James 4

1 Where do conflicts and quarrels among you come from? Do they not come from your passions that 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 lust, and do not have. You kill, covet, and cannot obtain. You fight and make war. You do not have, because you do not ask.

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 do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.

You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself 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 says in vain, "The Spirit which he made to dwell in us yearns jealously"?

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 gives more grace. Therefore it says, God resists the proud, but gives 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 flee from you.

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

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you 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 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy into gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are 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 Only one is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

There is only one lawgiver—he who is able to save and destroy. But who are yoʋ to judge another?

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow let us go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit."

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 do not know what tomorrow will be like. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

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 you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will both live, and 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 glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.

But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 To him therefore who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.