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Friendship with the World

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. And you covet[a] something and cannot obtain it, so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.(A) Adulterers![b] Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(B) Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the spirit that God caused to dwell[c] in us desire envy?(C) But God gives all the more grace; therefore it says,

“God opposes the proud
    but gives grace to the humble.”(D)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(E) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.(F) Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 4.2 Or you murder and you covet
  2. 4.4 Gk Adulterous women; other ancient authorities read Adulterous men and women
  3. 4.5 Other ancient authorities read the spirit that dwells

Conflict with people and God

What is the source of conflict among you? What is the source of your disputes? Don’t they come from your cravings that are at war in your own lives? You long for something you don’t have, so you commit murder. You are jealous for something you can’t get, so you struggle and fight. You don’t have because you don’t ask. You ask and don’t have because you ask with evil intentions, to waste it on your own cravings.

You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy. Or do you suppose that scripture is meaningless? Doesn’t God long for our faithfulness in[a] the life he has given to us?[b] But he gives us more grace. This is why it says, God stands against the proud, but favors the humble.[c] Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. Cry out in sorrow, mourn, and weep! Let your laughter become mourning and your joy become sadness. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:5 Or jealously longs for
  2. James 4:5 Or Doesn’t the spirit that God placed in us have jealous desires?
  3. James 4:6 Prov 3:34

Πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ [a]πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν; οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν, ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν; ἐπιθυμεῖτε, καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε· φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν· μάχεσθε καὶ πολεμεῖτε. οὐκ ἔχετε διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς· αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε. [b]μοιχαλίδες, οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν; ὃς [c]ἐὰν οὖν βουληθῇ φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσταται. ἢ δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει· Πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ὃ [d]κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν; μείζονα δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν· διὸ λέγει· Ὁ θεὸς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν. ὑποτάγητε οὖν τῷ θεῷ· ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν· ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ, καὶ [e]ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοί, καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας, δίψυχοι. ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε· ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος [f]μετατραπήτω καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν· 10 ταπεινώθητε ἐνώπιον [g]κυρίου, καὶ ὑψώσει ὑμᾶς.

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Footnotes

  1. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:1 πόθεν WH Treg NIV ] – RP
  2. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:4 μοιχαλίδες WH Treg NIV ] Μοιχοὶ καὶ μοιχαλίδες RP
  3. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:4 ἐὰν WH NIV ] ἂν Treg RP
  4. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:5 κατῴκισεν WH Treg NIV ] κατῴκησεν RP
  5. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:8 ἐγγιεῖ Treg NIV RP ] ἐγγίσει WH
  6. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:9 μετατραπήτω WH NIV ] μεταστραφήτω Treg RP
  7. ΙΑΚΩΒΟΥ 4:10 κυρίου WH Treg NIV ] τοῦ κυρίου RP