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10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.(A)

11 Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law.[a] If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?(B)

Warning Against Presumption.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. 4:11 Slander of a fellow Christian does not break just one commandment but makes mockery of the authority of law in general and therefore of God.
  2. 4:13–17 The uncertainty of life (Jas 4:14), its complete dependence on God, and the necessity of submitting to God’s will (Jas 4:15) all help one know and do what is right (Jas 4:17). To disregard this is to live in pride and arrogance (Jas 4:16); failure to do what is right is a sin (Jas 4:17).

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(A)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(B) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[a] or judges them(C) speaks against the law(D) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(E) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(F) the one who is able to save and destroy.(G) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(H)

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.