James 4

1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] from your lusts 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 desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet 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 consume [it] upon your lusts.

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

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the 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 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

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 he 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 Submit yourselves therefore to God. 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] double-minded.

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 will lift you up.

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

11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his] brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of 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 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save, and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

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

13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, 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 [will be] on the morrow: For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor, 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 Instead of that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall 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 rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

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

17 Therefore to him 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.