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
English Standard Version
Warning Against Worldliness
1What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[1] are at war within you?[2] (Ro 7:23; 1Pe 2:11)2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (1Jo 5:14)4You adulterous people![3] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Isa 54:5; Jer 2:2; Mt 6:24; Joh 15:19; 1Jo 2:15)5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (1Co 6:19; 2Co 6:16)6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Pr 3:34; Isa 54:7; Mt 13:12; 1Pe 5:5)7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (Eph 4:27; Eph 6:11; 1Pe 5:8)8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (2Ch 15:2; Isa 1:16; Jer 4:14; La 3:57; Zec 1:3; Mal 3:7; Lu 15:20; Jas 1:8)9Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. (Mt 5:4)10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (Isa 57:15; Mt 23:12; Lu 1:52; Jas 4:6)11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.[4] The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. (Mt 7:1; 2Co 12:20; Jas 5:9; 1Pe 2:1)12There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? (Isa 33:22; Mt 10:28; Ro 14:4; Jas 5:9)
Boasting About Tomorrow
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— (Pr 27:1; Lu 12:18)14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (Job 7:7; Ps 102:3)15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (Ac 18:21)16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (1Co 5:6)17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (Lu 12:47; Joh 9:41; 2Pe 2:21)