James

The general epistle of James, chapter 4, New English Translation and King James Version

Chapter 4 New English Translation

Passions and Pride

   1 Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, from your passions that battle inside you? 2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
   4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever decides to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy. 5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, "The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning"? 6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble." 7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. 10 Humble yourselves before the LORD and he will exalt you.
   11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters. He who speaks against a fellow believer or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge. 12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge - the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?
   13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." 14 You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. 15 You ought to say instead, "If the LORD is willing, then we will live and do this or that." 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows what is good to do and does not do it is guilty of sin.

King James Version

   1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war 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.
   3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
   4 Ye 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.
   5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
   6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
   7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist 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.
   9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
   10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
   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 judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
   12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
   13 Go 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:
   14 Whereas 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.
   15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
   16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
   17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.