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James 4-5
New American Standard Bible

Things to Avoid

4 [a]What is the source of quarrels and (A)conflicts among you? [b]Is the source not your pleasures that wage (B)war in [c]your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you (C)commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and (D)do not receive, because you ask [d]with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request [e]on your pleasures. 4 You (E)adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with (F)the world is (G)hostility toward God? (H)Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture (I)says to no purpose, “[f]He [g]jealously desires (J)the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But (K)He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “(L)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 (M)Submit therefore to God. But [h](N)resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 (O)Come close to God and He will come close to you. (P)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and (Q)purify your hearts, you (R)[i]double-minded. 9 (S)Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 (T)Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 (U)Do not speak against one another, (V)brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or (W)judges his brother or sister, speaks against (X)the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not (Y)a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one (Z)Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is (AA)able to save and to destroy; but (AB)who are you, [j]judging your neighbor?

13 (AC)Come now, you who say, “(AD)Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 [k]Yet you do not know [l]what your life will be like tomorrow. (AE)For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15 [m]Instead, you ought to say, “(AF)If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your [n]arrogance; (AG)all such boasting is evil. 17 So (AH)for one who knows the [o]right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.

Misuse of Riches

5 (AI)Come now, (AJ)you rich people, (AK)weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. 2 (AL)Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will [p]serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is (AM)in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! 4 Behold, (AN)the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and (AO)the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of (AP)the Lord [q]of armies. 5 You have [r](AQ)lived for pleasure on the earth and lived luxuriously; you have [s]fattened your hearts in (AR)a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and [t](AS)put to death (AT)the righteous person; he offers you no resistance.

Exhortation

7 Therefore be patient, (AU)brothers and sisters, (AV)until the coming of the Lord. (AW)The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until [u]it gets (AX)the early and late rains. 8 (AY)You too be patient; (AZ)strengthen your hearts, for (BA)the coming of the Lord is (BB)near. 9 (BC)Do not [v]complain, (BD)brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, (BE)the Judge is standing [w](BF)right at the [x]door. 10 As an example, (BG)brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take (BH)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those (BI)blessed who endured. You have heard of (BJ)the [y]endurance of Job and have seen (BK)the [z]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that (BL)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

12 But above all, (BM)my brothers and sisters, (BN)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but [aa]your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you do not fall under judgment.

13 Is anyone among you (BO)suffering? (BP)Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to (BQ)sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for (BR)the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, [ab](BS)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the (BT)prayer of faith will [ac](BU)restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will (BV)raise him up, and if he has committed sins, [ad]they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, (BW)confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be (BX)healed. (BY)A [ae]prayer of a righteous person, when it is [af]brought about, can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was (BZ)a man with a nature like ours, and (CA)he prayed [ag]earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for (CB)three years and six months. 18 Then he (CC)prayed again, and (CD)the sky [ah]poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

19 My brothers and sisters, (CE)if anyone among you strays from (CF)the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will (CG)save his soul from death and (CH)cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

  1. James 4:1 Lit From where wars and from where fightings
  2. James 4:1 Lit Are they not from here, from your
  3. James 4:1 Lit your parts
  4. James 4:3 Lit wrongly
  5. James 4:3 Lit in
  6. James 4:5 Or The spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy
  7. James 4:5 Lit desires to jealousy
  8. James 4:7 Or oppose
  9. James 4:8 I.e., chronic doubters
  10. James 4:12 Lit the one judging
  11. James 4:14 Lit Who do not
  12. James 4:14 Or what will happen tomorrow. What kind of life is yours?
  13. James 4:15 Lit Instead of your saying
  14. James 4:16 Or pretensions
  15. James 4:17 Or good
  16. James 5:3 Lit be for
  17. James 5:4 Gr sabaoth, for Heb tsebaoth
  18. James 5:5 Or led a life of self-indulgence
  19. James 5:5 Lit nourished
  20. James 5:6 Or murdered
  21. James 5:7 Or he
  22. James 5:9 Lit groan
  23. James 5:9 Lit before
  24. James 5:9 Lit doors
  25. James 5:11 Or steadfastness
  26. James 5:11 Lit end of the Lord
  27. James 5:12 Lit yours is to be yes, yes, and no, no
  28. James 5:14 Lit having anointed
  29. James 5:15 Lit save
  30. James 5:15 Lit it
  31. James 5:16 Or supplication
  32. James 5:16 I.e., granted by God
  33. James 5:17 Lit with prayer
  34. James 5:18 Lit gave
Listen to James 4-5
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James 4-5
New King James Version

Pride Promotes Strife

4 Where do [a]wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure (A)that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and [b]war. [c]Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 (B)You ask and do not receive, (C)because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 [d]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that (D)friendship with the world is enmity with God? (E)Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, (F)“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

(G)“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

Humility Cures Worldliness

7 Therefore submit to God. (H)Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 (I)Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (J)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and (K)purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 (L)Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 (M)Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Do Not Judge a Brother

11 (N)Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother (O)and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one [e]Lawgiver, (P)who is able to save and to destroy. (Q)Who[f] are you to judge [g]another?

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [h]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? (R)It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, (S)“If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. (T)All such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, (U)to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

5 Come now, you (V)rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your (W)riches [i]are corrupted, and (X)your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (Y)You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed (Z)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and (AA)the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of [j]Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and [k]luxury; you have [l]fattened your hearts [m]as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord [n]is at hand.

9 Do not [o]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be [p]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 (AB)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and (AC)patience. 11 Indeed (AD)we count them blessed who (AE)endure. You have heard of (AF)the perseverance of Job and seen (AG)the end intended by the Lord—that (AH)the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, (AI)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into [q]judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs(AJ)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him (AK)pray. Is anyone cheerful? (AL)Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, (AM)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (AN)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 [r]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (AO)The effective, [s]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man (AP)with a nature like ours, and (AQ)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed (AR)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone (AS)turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way (AT)will save [t]a soul from death and (AU)cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

  1. James 4:1 battles
  2. James 4:2 battle
  3. James 4:2 NU, M omit Yet
  4. James 4:4 NU omits Adulterers and
  5. James 4:12 NU adds and Judge
  6. James 4:12 NU, M But who
  7. James 4:12 NU a neighbor
  8. James 4:13 M let us
  9. James 5:2 have rotted
  10. James 5:4 Lit., in Heb., Hosts
  11. James 5:5 indulgence
  12. James 5:5 Lit. nourished
  13. James 5:5 NU omits as
  14. James 5:8 has drawn near
  15. James 5:9 Lit. groan
  16. James 5:9 NU, M judged
  17. James 5:12 M hypocrisy
  18. James 5:16 NU Therefore confess your sins
  19. James 5:16 supplication
  20. James 5:20 NU his soul
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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