James 4 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? ²You 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. ³You 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. ⁴You ^(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. ⁵Or 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”? ⁶But ^(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 ^[i]^(R)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. ¹²There 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.” ¹⁶But as it is, you boast in your ^[n]arrogance; ^(AG)all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷So ^(AH)for one who knows the ^[o]right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.