James 3-4
Expanded Bible
Controlling the Things We Say
3 My ·brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], not many of you should become teachers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly [Luke 12:48]. 2 We all ·make many mistakes [L stumble in many ways]. If people ·never said anything wrong [L did not stumble in speech/teaching/word], they would be perfect and able to ·control their entire selves, too [L bridle their whole body also]. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we ·can control [guide; direct] their whole bodies. 4 Also a ship is very big, and it is pushed by ·strong [fierce] winds. But a very small rudder ·controls [guides; steers] that big ship, making it go wherever the pilot wants. 5 It is the same with the tongue. It is a small ·part [member] of the body, but it ·brags [boasts] about great things.
A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. 6 And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of ·evil [iniquity; unrighteousness] among ·the parts of our bodies [L our members]. The tongue ·spreads its evil through [pollutes; stains; corrupts] the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell [L Gehenna; C a valley outside of Jerusalem where in the OT period children were sacrificed to a pagan god; later used as a burning trash heap; a metaphor for hell], and it starts a fire that influences ·all of life [L the wheel of birth/life]. 7 [L For] People can tame every ·kind [species] of wild animal, bird, reptile, and ·fish [L sea creature], and they have tamed them, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is ·wild and evil [or a restless evil; or an uncontrollable evil] and full of deadly poison. 9 ·We use our tongues to [L With it we] ·praise [bless] our Lord and Father, but ·then [L with it] we curse people, whom God made ·like himself [L in his likeness; Gen. 1:27]. 10 Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My ·brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], this should not happen. 11 Do ·good [fresh; L sweet] and ·bad [stale; or salt; L bitter] water flow from the same [L opening of a] spring? 12 My ·brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], can a fig tree make olives, or can a grapevine make figs? No! ·And a well full of salty water cannot give good water [L Neither can salt water make sweet].
True Wisdom
13 Are there those among you who are truly wise and ·understanding [insightful; discerning]? Then they should show it by ·living right [their good life/conduct/lifestyle] and ·doing good things [their deeds/works] with a ·gentleness [humility; meekness; Matt. 5:5; 11:29; Gal. 6:1] that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter ·jealousy [or envy] and ·are selfish [have selfish ambition] in your hearts, do not ·brag [boast; Jer. 9:23–24]. Your ·bragging [boasting] is a lie ·that hides [that denies; L against] the truth [or Don’t cover up the truth with bragging or lying]. 15 That kind of “wisdom” does not come ·from God [L down from above; C that is, from heaven] but ·from the world [is earthly]. It is ·not spiritual [natural; “soulish”; C human life apart from God; 1 Cor. 2:14]; it is ·from the devil [demonic]. 16 Where ·jealousy [or envy] and ·selfishness [selfish ambition] are, there will be ·confusion [chaos; disorder] and every ·kind of evil [evil thing/practice]. 17 But the wisdom that comes from ·God [L above; 3:15] is first of all pure, then peaceful [peace-loving], gentle [patient; considerate], and ·easy to please [or willing to yield; or open to reason]. This wisdom is ·always ready to help those who are troubled and to do good for others [L full of mercy and good fruits]. It is ·always fair [impartial] and ·honest [sincere; unhypocritical]. 18 ·People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right living [or Peacemakers who sow with peace will harvest a crop of justice/righteousness; Gal. 5:22–23].
Give Yourselves to God
4 Do you know where your ·fights [conflicts; wars] and ·arguments [disputes; quarrels; battles] come from? They come from ·the selfish desires [cravings] that war ·within you [L in your members; C probably parts of the body, but could be members of the church]. 2 You ·want [desire] things, but you ·do not [or cannot] have them. So you ·are ready to kill [L murder] and are ·jealous [envious] of other people, but you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and ·fight [wage war]. You do not get what you want, because you do not ask God. 3 Or when you ask, you do not receive because ·the reason you ask is wrong [or you ask with the wrong motives; L you ask badly/wrongly]. You want things so you ·can use [L spend] them for your own pleasures.
4 ·So, you are not loyal to God [L You adulterers!; C often adultery is used in a spiritual sense for betraying God; Jer. 3:20]! ·You should know [L Don’t you know…?] that ·loving [L friendship with] the world is ·the same as hating [L hostility/enmity toward] God. Anyone who wants to be a friend of the world becomes God’s enemy. 5 Do you think the Scripture ·means nothing that says [or says for no reason], ·“The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone”? [or “God yearns jealously for the spirit he has made to live in us”?; or “The spirit God placed within us tends to jealously desire things”?; C for God’s jealousy for his people see Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Zech. 8:2]. 6 But God gives us even more grace, as ·the Scripture [L it; or he] says,
“God ·is against [opposes; resists] the proud,
but he gives grace to the humble [Prov. 3:34; 1 Pet. 5:5].”
7 So ·give yourselves completely [submit] to God. ·Stand against [Resist] the devil [1 Pet. 5:9], and the devil will ·run [flee] from you. 8 Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, ·clean sin out of your lives [L cleanse/purify your hands; C a metaphor for cleaning up your behavior]. ·You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time [L You double-minded ones], ·make your thinking pure [L purify your hearts; C a metaphor for cleaning up your interior life]. 9 ·Be sad [Lament], ·cry [mourn], and weep! Change your laughter into ·crying [mourning] and your joy into ·sadness [gloom; sorrow]. 10 Humble yourself in the Lord’s presence, and he will ·honor you [L exalt you; lift you up; 1 Pet. 5:6].
You Are Not the Judge
11 Brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], do not ·tell evil lies about [slander] each other [Lev. 19:16]. If you ·speak against [slander] your ·fellow believers [L a brother or sister] or judge them, you are judging and ·speaking against [slandering] the law [C because the law commanded love]. And when you are judging the law, you are no longer a ·follower [L doer] of the law. You have become a judge [C sitting in judgment over the law]. 12 ·God is the only [L There is one] ·Lawmaker [Lawgiver] and Judge. He is the only One who can save and destroy [Matt. 10:28]. ·So it is not right for you [L So who are you…?] to judge your neighbor [Lev. 19:18].
Let God Plan Your Life
13 ·Some of you say [L Come now, you who say], “Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.” 14 But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a ·mist [vapor; puff of smoke]. ·You can see it [It appears] for a short time, but then it ·goes away [vanishes; Prov. 27:1]. 15 ·So [or Instead] you should say, “If the Lord ·wants [wills; wishes], we will live and do this or that [Matt. 6:10].” 16 But now you are ·proud [arrogant; C probably referring to their plans for the future] and you brag [boast]. All of this bragging [boasting] is wrong [L evil; wicked; 3:14]. 17 [L Therefore] Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, ·is sinning [L for him it is sin].
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