James 4

1 Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members?

Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Do not they come from your pleasures that war in your members?

2 You desire, and you do not have. You kill and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.

You lust, and do not have. You murder and covet, and cannot obtain. You fight and make war. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive because you ask badly, in order that you may use it for your desires.

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

4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

You adulterers and adulteresses, do not you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply jealous”?

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?

6 But God gives more grace, so the scripture says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Come close to God, and he will come close 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. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Grieve, mourn, and cry! Let your laughter turn into sadness and your joy into gloom.

Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

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

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

11 Do not speak against one another, brothers. The person who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and 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.

12 Only one is the lawgiver and judge. He is the one who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, you who judge your neighbor?

Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

14 Who knows what will happen tomorrow, and what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

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

15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

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

16 But now you are boasting about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.

But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.

17 So for anyone who knows to do good but does not do it, for him it is sin.

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