James 4
Names of God Bible
Stop Fighting with Each Other
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren’t they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you commit murder. You’re determined to have things, but you can’t get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don’t have the things you want, because you don’t pray for them. 3 When you pray for things, you don’t get them because you want them for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.
4 You unfaithful people! Don’t you know that love for this evil world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God. 5 Do you think this passage means nothing? It says, “The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.”
6 But God shows us even more kindness.[a] Scripture says,
“God opposes arrogant people,
but he is kind to humble people.”
7 So place yourselves under God’s authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters. 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.
17 Whoever knows what is right but doesn’t do it is sinning.
Footnotes
- James 4:6 Or “grace.”
雅各书 4
Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified)
骄傲与谦卑
4 你们中间的冲突是从哪里来的？争执是从哪里来的？难道不是从你们身体各部分中交战的私欲而来的吗？ 2 你们渴望而不能拥有，就杀人；你们嫉妒而不能获得，就争斗、作战。你们不能拥有，是因为你们不求； 3 你们求也不能得到，是因为你们求的动机[a]不对，为了要花费在自己的私欲上。
4 你们这些淫乱的人[b]哪！难道你们不知道，与世界为友，就是与神为敌吗？所以，如果有人想要和世界做朋友，他就成了神的仇敌！ 5 或者，你们以为经上所说的“神[c]使圣灵住在我们里面，他爱我们[d]到嫉妒的地步”是空话吗？
6 不过他赐下更大的恩典，所以经上说：
“神抵挡骄傲的人，
赐恩典给谦卑的人。”[e]
7 因此，你们要服从神，要抵挡魔鬼，魔鬼就会逃避你们。 8 你们要亲近神，神就会亲近你们。你们这些罪人哪，当使你们的手洁净！心怀二意的人哪，当使你们的心纯洁！ 9 你们应当难过、悲伤、痛哭；把你们的欢笑变为悲伤，快乐变为忧闷。 10 你们当在主面前降卑，他就会高举你们。
11 弟兄们，你们不可彼此诽谤。诽谤弟兄或评断自己弟兄的，就是诽谤律法、评断律法。如果你评断律法，你就不是实行律法的人，而是个审判者了。 12 那设立律法的和审判者[f]，只有一位；他就是既能拯救又能毁灭的那一位。而你到底是谁，竟然评断邻人呢？
不要自夸
13 现在来吧！你们这些人哪，你们说“今天或明天，我们要到某某城去，要在那里住上一年，做生意赚钱。” 14 你们不知道明天是什么、生命是什么！你们不过是一阵云雾，出现片刻，随后就消失了。
15 你们倒应该说：“主如果愿意，我们就将活着，做这事或做那事。” 16 但如今，你们在自己的骄傲中夸耀。凡是这样的夸耀，都是邪恶的。 17 所以，那知道该行美善的事而不去行的，对他来说，这就是罪了。
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
Copyright © 2011 by Global Bible Initiative