You ask and (A)do not receive, because you ask [a]with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request [b]on your pleasures. You (B)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with (C)the world is (D)hostility toward God? (E)Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture (F)says to no purpose, “[c]He [d]jealously desires (G)the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. James 4:3 Lit wrongly
  2. James 4:3 Lit in
  3. James 4:5 Or The spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy
  4. James 4:5 Lit desires to jealousy

When you ask, you do not receive,(A) because you ask with wrong motives,(B) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous(C) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(D) means enmity against God?(E) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(F) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(G)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously