1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?2Ye 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.3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.11Speak 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 judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?13Go to 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:14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
James 4
New International Reader’s Version
Obey God
1Why do you fight and argue among yourselves? Isn’t it because of your sinful desires? They fight within you.2You want something, but you don’t have it. So you kill. You want what others have, but you can’t get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don’t have what you want, because you don’t ask God.3When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. That’s because you ask for the wrong reason. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.4You are not faithful to God. Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.5Don’t you know what Scripture says? God wants the spirit in us to belong only to him. God caused this spirit to live in us. Don’t you think Scripture has a reason for saying this?6But God continues to give us more grace. That’s why Scripture says, ‘God opposes those who are proud. But he gives grace to those who are humble.’ (Pr 3:34)7So obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you.8Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Make your hearts pure, you who can’t make up your minds.9Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep. Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness.10Be humble in front of the Lord. And he will lift you up.11My brothers and sisters, don’t speak against one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister speaks against the law. And anyone who judges another believer judges the law. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it. Instead, you are acting as if you were its judge.12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the God who is able to save life or destroy it. But who are you to judge your neighbour?
Bragging about tomorrow
13Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city. We will spend a year there. We will buy and sell and make money.’14You don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while. Then it disappears.15Instead, you should say, ‘If it pleases the Lord, we will live and do this or that.’16As it is, you boast. You boast about the evil plans your pride produces. This kind of boasting is evil.17So suppose someone knows the good deeds they should do. But suppose they don’t do them. By not doing these good deeds, they sin.