James 4

1 Whence wars and whence fightings among you? are they not from hence—due to your pleasures which are taking the field in your members?

From whence are warres and contentions among you? are they not hence, euen of your pleasures, that fight in your members?

2 Ye covet—and have not, ye commit murder, and are jealous—and cannot obtain, —ye fight and war. Ye have not—because ye do not really ask,

Ye lust, and haue not: ye enuie, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, and get nothing, because ye aske not.

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

Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures.

4 Adulteresses! Know ye not that, the friendship of the world, is, enmity to God? Whosoever, therefore, is minded to be, a friend, of the world, an enemy of God, doth constitute himself.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, knowe ye not that the amitie of the world is the enimitie of God? Whosoeuer therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himselfe the enemie of God.

5 Or think ye that, in vain, the scripture speaketh? Is it, for envying, that the spirit which hath taken an abode within us doth crave?

Doe ye thinke that the Scripture sayeth in vaine, The spirit that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie?

6 Howbeit he giveth, greater, favour. Wherefore it saith—God, against the haughty, arrayeth himself, Whereas, unto the lowly, he giveth favour.

But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, and giueth grace to the humble.

7 Range yourselves, therefore, under God, but withstand the adversary, and he will flee from you:

Submit your selues to God: resist the deuill, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. Cleanse hands, sinners! Chasten hearts, double souls!

Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe neere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be miserable and lament and weep, let, your laughter, into lamentation, be turned, and, your joy, into dejection;

Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.

10 Be made low in presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp.

11 Be not speaking one against another, brethren! He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against law, and judgeth law; Now, if, upon law, thou art passing judgment, thou art not a doer of law, but a judge!

Speake not euill one of another, brethren. He that speaketh euill of his brother, or he that condemneth his brother, speaketh euill of ye Law, and condemneth the Lawe: and if thou condemnest the Lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the Lawe, but a iudge.

12 One, is Lawgiver and Judge—He who hath power to save and to destroy; but who art, thou, that judgest thy neighbour?

There is one Lawgiuer, which is able to saue, and to destroy. Who art thou that iudgest another man?

13 Come now! ye that say—Today or To-morrow, we will journey unto this city here, and will spend there a year, and will trade and get gain, —

Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morowe we will goe into such a citie, and continue there a yeere, and bye and sell, and get gaine,

14 Men who are not versed in the morrow—of what sort your life [will be]; for ye are, a vapour—for a little, appearing, then, just disappearing!

(And yet ye cannot tell what shalbe to morowe. For what is your life? It is euen a vapour that appeareth for a litle time, and afterward vanisheth away)

15 Instead of your saying—If, the Lord, be pleased, we shall both, live and do this or that;

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.

16 Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: —All boasting like this, is, wicked,

But now ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.

17 To him, therefore, who knoweth how to be doing, a right thing, and is not doing it, it is, sin, unto him.

Therefore, to him that knoweth how to doe well, and doeth it not, to him it is sinne.