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James 4
New International Version
James 4
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)
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 4
Amplified Bible
James 4
Amplified Bible
Things to Avoid
4 What leads to [the unending] [a]quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]? 2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and [b]your lust goes unfulfilled; so you [c]murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God].(A) 3 You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask [d]with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires. 4 You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose [e]that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy?(B) 6 But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud and haughty, but [continually] gives [the gift of] grace to the humble [who turn away from self-righteousness].”(C) 7 So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. 9 Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].
11 Believers, do not speak against or slander one another. He who speaks [self-righteously] against a brother or [f]judges his brother [hypocritically], speaks against the Law and judges the Law. If you judge the Law, you are not a doer of the Law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy [the one God who has the absolute power of life and death]; but who are you to [hypocritically or self-righteously] pass judgment on your neighbor?
13 Come now [and pay attention to this], you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and carry on our business and make a profit.” 14 [g]Yet you do not know [the least thing] [h]about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air]. 15 Instead [i]you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast [vainly] in your pretension and arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.
Footnotes
- James 4:1 Lit wars.
- James 4:2 Lit you do not have.
- James 4:2 Possibly a reference to Christ’s statement in Matt 5:22, or to actually doing something that results in someone’s death in order to take what he has.
- James 4:3 Lit wrongly.
- James 4:5 This verse is difficult to translate, and it seems that James is paraphrasing or generalizing a scriptural concept rather than quoting directly from the Old Testament.
- James 4:11 This is not a prohibition of all judgment, nor is it a command to stop using godly wisdom, common sense, and moral courage together with God’s written word to discern right from wrong, to distinguish between morality and immorality, and to judge doctrinal truth. There are many judgments that are not only legitimate, but are commanded (cf John 7:24; 1 Cor 5:5, 12; Gal 1:8, 9; 1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 10); however, you cannot judge another if you are committing the same type of sin.
- James 4:14 Lit Who do not.
- James 4:14 Lit what sort your life will be.
- James 4:15 Lit of your saying.
James 4
The Message
James 4
The Message
Get Serious
4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?
Nothing but a Wisp of Fog
13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
James 4
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
James 4
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
4 What accounts for pothen the quarrels polemos and kai disputes machē among en you hymeis? Is it not ou this enteuthen— · ho your hymeis desires hēdonē that ho are at war in en · ho your hymeis members melos? 2 You desire epithumeō and kai do not ou have echō; you murder phoneuō and kai envy zēloō and kai cannot ou dynamai obtain epitynchanō; you fight machomai and kai quarrel polemeō. You do not ou have echō because dia you hymeis do not mē ask aiteō. 3 You ask aiteō and kai do not ou receive lambanō because dioti you ask aiteō for the wrong reason kakōs, that hina you can spend dapanaō it on en · ho your hymeis pleasures hēdonē.
4 You adulterous people moichalis! Do you not ou know oida that hoti · ho friendship philia with the ho world kosmos is eimi hostility echthra toward ho God theos? Therefore oun whoever hos ean desires boulomai to be eimi a friend philos of the ho world kosmos makes himself kathistēmi an enemy echthros of ho God theos. 5 Or ē do you imagine dokeō that hoti scripture graphē has no meaning kenōs · ho when it says legō, “God yearns jealously pros phthonos over epipotheō the ho spirit pneuma that hos he has placed katoikizō in en us hēmeis”? 6 But de he gives didōmi greater megas grace charis. That is why dio scripture says legō, · ho “ God theos opposes antitassō the proud hyperēphanos but de he gives didōmi grace charis to the humble tapeinos.” 7 So oun submit hypotassō yourselves to ho God theos. Resist anthistēmi · de the ho devil diabolos and kai he will flee pheugō from apo you hymeis. 8 Draw near engizō to ho God theos and kai he will draw near engizō to you hymeis. Cleanse katharizō your hands cheir, you sinners hamartōlos, and kai purify hagnizō your hearts kardia, you double-minded dipsychos. 9 Be miserable talaipōreō and kai mourn pentheō and kai weep klaiō; let metatrepō · ho your hymeis laughter gelōs be turned metatrepō into eis mourning penthos and kai your ho joy chara into eis gloom katēpheia. 10 Humble yourselves tapeinoō in the presence enōpion of the Lord kyrios and kai he will lift hypsoō you hymeis up .
11 Do not mē speak against katalaleō one another allēlōn, my brothers adelphos. Whoever ho speaks against katalaleō a brother adelphos or ē judges krinō · ho his autos brother adelphos, speaks against katalaleō the law nomos and kai judges krinō the law nomos; but de if ei you judge krinō the law nomos, you are eimi not ou a doer poiētēs of the law nomos but alla a judge kritēs of it. 12 There is eimi only one heis who is the ho lawgiver nomothetēs and kai judge kritēs— the ho one who is able dynamai to save sōzō and kai to destroy apollymi; so de who tis are eimi you sy · ho to be judging krinō your ho neighbor plēsion?
13 Come agō now nyn, you who ho say legō, “ Today sēmeron or ē tomorrow aurion we will go poreuō to eis some hode · ho city polis and kai spend poieō a year eniautos there ekei and kai engage in business emporeuomai and kai make a profit kerdainō.” 14 You hostis have no ou idea epistamai · ho what poios your hymeis life zōē will be like poios · ho tomorrow aurion. · ho For gar you are eimi but a mist atmis that ho appears phainō for pros a brief moment oligos and kai then epeita disappears aphanizō. 15 Instead anti, you hymeis ought to say legō, “ If ean the ho Lord kyrios so decrees thelō, then kai we will live zaō and kai do poieō this houtos or ē that ekeinos.” 16 But de as it is nyn, you are making arrogant alazoneia boasts kauchaomai; · ho all pas such toioutos boasting kauchēsis is eimi evil ponēros. 17 So oun the person who knows oida what is right kalos to do poieō and kai fails mē to do poieō it, for him autos it is eimi sin hamartia.
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