James 4:9-16

GOD’S WORD Translation

⁹ Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence. Then he will give you a high position.

Stop Slandering Each Other

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God’s laws. If you judge God’s teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them. ¹² There is only one who creates laws and judges on the basis of them. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor?

Don’t Brag about Your Plans for the Future

¹³ Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” ¹⁴ You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. ¹⁵ Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.” ¹⁶ However, you brag because you’re arrogant. All such bragging is evil.