James 4

¹Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Do not they come from your pleasures that war in your members?

²You lust, and do not have. You kill, covet, and cannot obtain. You fight and make war. You do not have, because you do not ask.

³You ask, and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.

⁴You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

⁵Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit which He made to dwell in us yearns jealously"?

⁶But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

⁷Be subject therefore 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 double-minded.

⁹Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹Do not speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother or 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.

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

¹³Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow let us go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit."

¹⁴Whereas 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 .

¹⁵For you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that."

¹⁶But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.

¹⁷To him therefore who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4

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.