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?
Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence? even of your carnal appetites making war in your bodies?
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 desire, and ye have not: ye are envious, and jealous, and cannot obtain: ye fight and contend; but ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask and receive not, because that, basely, ye ask, in order that, in your pleasures, ye may spend [it].
Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask wickedly; that ye may spend it in 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, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity to God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world becomes an enemy 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?
Do ye think the scripture speaks in vain? or does the Spirit that dwelleth in us, excite to envy?
6 Howbeit he giveth, greater, favour. Wherefore it saith—God, against the haughty, arrayeth himself, Whereas, unto the lowly, he giveth favour.
No, He giveth more grace: wherefore it is said, God resisteth the proud, but sheweth favor to the humble.
7 Range yourselves, therefore, under God, but withstand the adversary, and he will flee from you:
Submit yourselves therefore to God: resist the devil, 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!
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you: cleanse your hands, O sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be miserable and lament and weep, let, your laughter, into lamentation, be turned, and, your joy, into dejection;
Be grieved, and mourn, and weep: let your mirth be turned into mourning, and your joy to sadness.
10 Be made low in presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Be humbled before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
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!
Speak not against one another, my brethren; he that speaketh against his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh against 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 Lawgiver and Judge—He who hath power to save and to destroy; but who art, thou, that judgest thy neighbour?
Now there is but one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou then that judgest another?
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, —
Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go to such a city, and spend a year there, and trade and get gain;
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!
(though ye know not what will be on the morrow; for what is your life? a vapor, which appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away: ) whereas ye ought to say,
15 Instead of your saying—If, the Lord, be pleased, we shall both, live and do this or that;
If the Lord will, and we should live, and do this or that:
16 Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: —All boasting like this, is, wicked,
but ye glory in your presumption: all such glorying is wicked.
17 To him, therefore, who knoweth how to be doing, a right thing, and is not doing it, it is, sin, unto him.
To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.
