James 4

1 Whence [come] wars and whence [come] fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your pleasures that war in your members?

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

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.

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;

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures.

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

4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

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.

5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

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

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

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

7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be subject, then, to God; stand up against 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 doubleminded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

12 One [only] is the lawgiver and judge, [even] he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?

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

13 Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:

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,”

14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

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;

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

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

16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

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

17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

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