James 4
King James Version
4 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.
James 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Proud or Humble
4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings(A) that are at war within you?[a] 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.(B)
4 Adulteresses![b][c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.(C) 5 Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?[d](D)
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.(F) 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!(G) 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.(H) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(I) 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[f] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?(J)
Our Will and His Will
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”(K) 14 You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.(L)
15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.(M) 17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.(N)
Footnotes
- James 4:1 Lit war in your members
- James 4:4 Other mss read Adulterers and adulteresses
- James 4:4 Or Unfaithful people!
- James 4:5 Or He who caused the Spirit to live in us yearns jealously, or the spirit He caused to live in us yearns jealously, or He jealously yearns for the Spirit He made to live in us
- James 4:6 Pr 3:34
- James 4:12 Other mss omit and judge
James 4
Darby Translation
4 Whence [come] wars and whence fightings among you? [Is it] not thence,—from your pleasures, which war in your members?
2 Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.
4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.
5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?
6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.
7 Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.
9 Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.
11 Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.
12 One is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art *thou* who judgest thy neighbour?
13 Go to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,
14 ye who do not know what will be on the morrow, ([for] what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing,)
15 instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.
16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
17 To him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.
James 4
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
4 What accounts for pothen the quarrels polemos and kai disputes machē among en you hymeis? Is it not ou this enteuthen— · ho your hymeis desires hēdonē that ho are at war in en · ho your hymeis members melos? 2 You desire epithumeō and kai do not ou have echō; you murder phoneuō and kai envy zēloō and kai cannot ou dynamai obtain epitynchanō; you fight machomai and kai quarrel polemeō. You do not ou have echō because dia you hymeis do not mē ask aiteō. 3 You ask aiteō and kai do not ou receive lambanō because dioti you ask aiteō for the wrong reason kakōs, that hina you can spend dapanaō it on en · ho your hymeis pleasures hēdonē.
4 You adulterous people moichalis! Do you not ou know oida that hoti · ho friendship philia with the ho world kosmos is eimi hostility echthra toward ho God theos? Therefore oun whoever hos ean desires boulomai to be eimi a friend philos of the ho world kosmos makes himself kathistēmi an enemy echthros of ho God theos. 5 Or ē do you imagine dokeō that hoti scripture graphē has no meaning kenōs · ho when it says legō, “God yearns jealously pros phthonos over epipotheō the ho spirit pneuma that hos he has placed katoikizō in en us hēmeis”? 6 But de he gives didōmi greater megas grace charis. That is why dio scripture says legō, · ho “ God theos opposes antitassō the proud hyperēphanos but de he gives didōmi grace charis to the humble tapeinos.” 7 So oun submit hypotassō yourselves to ho God theos. Resist anthistēmi · de the ho devil diabolos and kai he will flee pheugō from apo you hymeis. 8 Draw near engizō to ho God theos and kai he will draw near engizō to you hymeis. Cleanse katharizō your hands cheir, you sinners hamartōlos, and kai purify hagnizō your hearts kardia, you double-minded dipsychos. 9 Be miserable talaipōreō and kai mourn pentheō and kai weep klaiō; let metatrepō · ho your hymeis laughter gelōs be turned metatrepō into eis mourning penthos and kai your ho joy chara into eis gloom katēpheia. 10 Humble yourselves tapeinoō in the presence enōpion of the Lord kyrios and kai he will lift hypsoō you hymeis up .
11 Do not mē speak against katalaleō one another allēlōn, my brothers adelphos. Whoever ho speaks against katalaleō a brother adelphos or ē judges krinō · ho his autos brother adelphos, speaks against katalaleō the law nomos and kai judges krinō the law nomos; but de if ei you judge krinō the law nomos, you are eimi not ou a doer poiētēs of the law nomos but alla a judge kritēs of it. 12 There is eimi only one heis who is the ho lawgiver nomothetēs and kai judge kritēs— the ho one who is able dynamai to save sōzō and kai to destroy apollymi; so de who tis are eimi you sy · ho to be judging krinō your ho neighbor plēsion?
13 Come agō now nyn, you who ho say legō, “ Today sēmeron or ē tomorrow aurion we will go poreuō to eis some hode · ho city polis and kai spend poieō a year eniautos there ekei and kai engage in business emporeuomai and kai make a profit kerdainō.” 14 You hostis have no ou idea epistamai · ho what poios your hymeis life zōē will be like poios · ho tomorrow aurion. · ho For gar you are eimi but a mist atmis that ho appears phainō for pros a brief moment oligos and kai then epeita disappears aphanizō. 15 Instead anti, you hymeis ought to say legō, “ If ean the ho Lord kyrios so decrees thelō, then kai we will live zaō and kai do poieō this houtos or ē that ekeinos.” 16 But de as it is nyn, you are making arrogant alazoneia boasts kauchaomai; · ho all pas such toioutos boasting kauchēsis is eimi evil ponēros. 17 So oun the person who knows oida what is right kalos to do poieō and kai fails mē to do poieō it, for him autos it is eimi sin hamartia.
James 4
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Fights And Battles Come From Your Pursuit of Worldly Desires
4 From-what-source are fights and from-what-source are battles among you? Are they not from-here— from your pleasures waging-war in your body-parts? 2 You desire and do not have; you[a] murder. And you are jealous and are not able to obtain; you battle and fight. You do not have because of your not asking! 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask badly[b], in order that you may spend it in connection with your pleasures. 4 Adulterous[c] ones, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes-himself [d] an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture[e] speaks vainly? He yearns jealously for the spirit[f] which He made-to-dwell in us!
But God Gives Grace To The Humble. So Submit To God And Purify Your Hearts
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says [in Prov 3:34], “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. 7 Therefore, 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, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded ones. 9 Be miserable[g] and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection[h]. 10 Humble-yourselves[i] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
So Do Not Be Speaking Against Or Judging One Another
11 Do not be speaking-against one another, brothers. The one speaking-against a brother or judging his brother is speaking-against the Law and judging the Law. But if you are judging the Law, you are not a doer of the Law, but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver and Judge— the One being able to save and to destroy. But who are you, the one judging your neighbor?
Do Not Presume To Direct Your Life Apart From God
13 Come now, the ones saying “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such-and-such city and do a year there, and we will do-business and make-a-gain”— 14 who do not know the thing of [j] tomorrow! What is your life? For you are a vapor appearing for a little while, then indeed disappearing!— 15 instead of you saying, “If the Lord wills, we indeed[k] will live and do this or that”. 16 But as-it-is, you are boasting in your pretensions. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one knowing[l] to be doing good and not doing it, to him it is a sin.
Footnotes
- James 4:2 have; you murder... fight. Or, have. You murder and envy and cannot obtain. You battle and fight.
- James 4:3 Or, wrongly. That is, with bad motives.
- James 4:4 James is referring to spiritual adultery.
- James 4:4 Or, is made, is constituted.
- James 4:5 That is, does Scripture in general speak to no purpose about spiritual adultery and God’s response to it? Or, Scripture as summarized and paraphrased in v 5b; or, Scripture as quoted in v 6.
- James 4:5 Or, Spirit. This may also be rendered ‘The Spirit which He caused-to-dwell in us yearns jealously for us’; or, ‘the spirit which he caused-to-dwell in us yearns enviously’ for the world.
- James 4:9 Or, Lament.
- James 4:9 Or, gloominess, depression.
- James 4:10 Or, Be humbled.
- James 4:14 That is, belonging to. In other words, what will happen tomorrow.
- James 4:15 Or, both.
- James 4:17 This general rule applies in this case.
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Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
