James 4
Lexham English Bible
Subject Yourselves to God
4 From where are conflicts and from where are quarrels among you? Is it not from this, from your pleasures that wage war among your members? 2 You desire and do not have; you murder and are filled with envy, and are not able to obtain; you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, in order that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that in vain the scripture says, “The spirit which he caused to dwell in us desires jealously”?[a] 6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says,
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[b]
7 Therefore subject yourselves 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, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded! 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your[c] joy to gloominess. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. The one who speaks evil of a brother or 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 of the law.[d] 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your[e] neighbor?
Arrogant Boasting About the Future
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there, and carry on business and make a profit,” 14 you who do not know what will happen tomorrow[f], what your life will be like[g]. For you are a smoky vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears. 15 Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Footnotes
- James 4:5 This translation takes “spirit” to be the capacity within people that produces a divided mind and conflicts regarding God; other translations take this to refer to the Holy Spirit: “He (God) jealously desires the Spirit which he caused to dwell in us”
- James 4:6 A quotation from Prov 3:34
- James 4:9 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- James 4:11 The words “of the law” are not in the Greek text, but are an understood repetition from the previous clause
- James 4:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- James 4:14 Literally “the circumstance of tomorrow”
- James 4:14 Literally “of what sort your life”
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.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
The Mounce Reverse Interlinear™ New Testament (MOUNCE)
Copyright © 2011 by William D. Mounce. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Reverse Interlinear” is a trademark of William D. Mounce.
