James 4

¹Where do wars and contentions among you come from? Is it not from this: from your own desires, which battle within your members?

²You desire, and you do not have. You envy and you kill, and you are unable to obtain. You argue and you fight, and you do not have, because you do not ask.

³You ask and you do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may use it toward your own desires.

⁴You adulterers! Do you not know that the friendship of this world is hostile to God? Therefore, whoever has chosen to be a friend of this world has been made into an enemy of God.

⁵Or do you think that Scripture says in vain: “The spirit which lives within you desires unto envy?”

⁶But he gives a greater grace. Therefore he says: “God resists the arrogant, but he gives grace to the humble.”

⁷Therefore, be subject to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

⁸Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners! And purify your hearts, you duplicitous souls!

⁹Be afflicted: mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your gladness into sorrow.

¹⁰Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹Brothers, do not choose to slander one another. Whoever slanders his brother, or whoever judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

¹²There is one lawgiver and one judge. He is able to destroy, and he is able to set free.

¹³But who are you to judge your neighbor? Consider this, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into that city, and certainly we will spend a year there, and we will do business, and we will make our profit,”

¹⁴consider that you do not know what will be tomorrow.

¹⁵For what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a brief time, and afterwards will vanish away. So what you ought to say is: “If the Lord wills,” or, “If we live,” we will do this or that.

¹⁶But now you exult in your arrogance. All such exultation is wicked.

¹⁷Therefore, he who knows that he ought to do a good thing, and does not do it, for him it is a sin.

James 4

¹From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?

²You covet, and have not: you kill and envy and cannot obtain. You contend and war, and you have not: because you ask not.

³You ask and receive not: because you ask amiss, that you may consume it on your concupiscences.

⁴Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world becometh an enemy of God.

⁵Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?

⁶But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.

⁷Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil: and he will fly 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 into mourning and your joy into sorrow.

¹⁰Be humbled in the sight of the Lord: and he will exalt you.

¹¹Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth 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 and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.

¹³But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year and will traffic and make our gain.

¹⁴Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.

¹⁵For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and, If we shall live, we will do this or that.

¹⁶But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.

¹⁷To him therefore who knoweth to do good and doth it not, to him it is sin.