James 4

1 Where do wars and fights among you come from? Do they not come from your passions that wage war among your members?

Where do the wars and disputes among you come from? Is it not precisely from your pleasures, the ones at war in your members?

2 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.

You crave and do not have; you murder and covet and are not able to obtain; you fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.

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

You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may lavish it on your pleasures.

4 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.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? So whoever may want to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The spirit that dwells in us desires to the point of envy,

Or do you suppose that the Scripture says in vain that the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously?

6 but God gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

But He gives greater grace; therefore He says: “God resists proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones.”

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

Therefore submit to God. 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. Sinners, cleanse your hands! Double-minded, purify your hearts!

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

Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into dejection.

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

Humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you.

11 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.

Brothers, do not speak evil of one another. Because the one speaking against a brother and judging his brother speaks against a law and judges a law. So if you judge a law you are not a law-doer but a judge.

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

The Lawgiver and Judge is One, the one who is able to save and to destroy. So who are you (sg) to be judging someone who is different?

13 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.”

Come now, you who say, “Today and tomorrow let us travel to that certain city, spend a year there, do business and make a profit;”

14 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.

whereas you do not know anything about the morrow. For what is our life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time but then vanishes away.

15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, let us live and do this or that.”

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

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

But now you boast in your arrogant pretensions. All such boasting is malignant.

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

Therefore, to the one knowing to do good and not doing it, to him it is sin.