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James 4-5
English Standard Version
James 4-5
English Standard Version
Warning Against Worldliness
4 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are (A)at war within you?[b] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask (B)wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 (C)You adulterous people![c] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? (D)Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit (E)that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But (F)he gives more grace. Therefore it says, (G)“God opposes the proud but (H)gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. (I)Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 (J)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (K)Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and (L)purify your hearts, (M)you double-minded. 9 (N)Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 (O)Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11 (P)Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.[d] The one who speaks against a brother or (Q)judges his brother, speaks evil against 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 only (R)one lawgiver and (S)judge, he who is able to save and (T)to destroy. But (U)who are you to judge your neighbor?
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Come now, you who say, (V)“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 (W)you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, (X)“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. (Y)All such boasting is evil. 17 (Z)So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Warning to the Rich
5 Come now, (AA)you rich, weep and howl for the (AB)miseries that are coming upon you. 2 (AC)Your riches have rotted and (AD)your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. (AE)You have laid up treasure (AF)in the last days. 4 Behold, (AG)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and (AH)the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of (AI)the Lord of hosts. 5 (AJ)You have lived on the earth in luxury and (AK)in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in (AL)a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and (AM)murdered (AN)the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[e] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives (AO)the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. (AP)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord (AQ)is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, (AR)so that you may not be judged; behold, (AS)the Judge is standing (AT)at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take (AU)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of (AV)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen (AW)the purpose of the Lord, how (AX)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
12 But above all, my brothers, (AY)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him (AZ)sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, (BA)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And (BB)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, (BC)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, (BD)that you may be healed. (BE)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.[f] 17 Elijah was a man (BF)with a nature like ours, and (BG)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for (BH)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 (BI)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
19 My brothers, (BJ)if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone (BK)brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering (BL)will save his soul from death and (BM)will cover a multitude of sins.
James 4-5
New International Version
James 4-5
New International Version
Submit Yourselves to God
4 What causes fights and quarrels(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle(B) within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill.(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive,(D) because you ask with wrong motives,(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous(F) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(G) means enmity against God?(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(I) 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(J) 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(L) and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you.(M) Wash your hands,(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(O) you double-minded.(P) 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(Q) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(R)
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them(T) speaks against the law(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(V) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(Y)
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen,(Z) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(AA) 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.(AB) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(AC) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(AD) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(AE)
Warning to Rich Oppressors
5 Now listen,(AF) you rich people,(AG) weep and wail(AH) because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.(AI) 3 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.(AJ) 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers(AK) who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries(AL) of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.(AM) 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves(AN) in the day of slaughter.[e](AO) 6 You have condemned and murdered(AP) the innocent one,(AQ) who was not opposing you.
Patience in Suffering
7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming.(AR) See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting(AS) for the autumn and spring rains.(AT) 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming(AU) is near.(AV) 9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,(AW) or you will be judged. The Judge(AX) is standing at the door!(AY)
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets(AZ) who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we count as blessed(BA) those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance(BB) and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.(BC) The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.(BD)
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.(BE)
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.(BF) Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.(BG) 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders(BH) of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil(BI) in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith(BJ) will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins(BK) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.(BL) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.(BM)
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.(BN) He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.(BO) 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.(BP)
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth(BQ) and someone should bring that person back,(BR) 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save(BS) them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.(BT)
Footnotes
- James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
- James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
- James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
- James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.
- James 5:5 Or yourselves as in a day of feasting
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.