Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Come now, you who say, (A)“Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For (B)you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, (C)“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. (D)All such boasting is evil. 17 (E)So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Warning to the Rich

Come now, (F)you rich, weep and howl for the (G)miseries that are coming upon you. (H)Your riches have rotted and (I)your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (J)You have laid up treasure (K)in the last days. Behold, (L)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and (M)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of (N)the Lord of hosts. (O)You have lived on the earth in luxury and (P)in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in (Q)a day of slaughter. You have condemned and (R)murdered (S)the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen,(A) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(B) 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.(C) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(D) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(E) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(F)

Warning to Rich Oppressors

Now listen,(G) you rich people,(H) weep and wail(I) because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.(J) Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.(K) Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers(L) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries(M) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.(N) You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves(O) in the day of slaughter.[a](P) You have condemned and murdered(Q) the innocent one,(R) who was not opposing you.

Footnotes

  1. James 5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting