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.

Patience in Suffering

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers,^[a] 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 ^(A)the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. ^(B)Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^(C)is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, ^(D)so that you may not be judged; behold, ^(E)the Judge is standing ^(F)at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take ^(G)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of ^(H)the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen ^(I)the purpose of the Lord, how ^(J)the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brothers, ^(K)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 ^(L)sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(M)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 ^(N)if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore, ^(O)confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, ^(P)that you may be healed. ^(Q)The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{[b] 17} Elijah was a man ^(R)with a nature like ours, and ^(S)he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^(T)three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^18 (U)Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.