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Whereof be battles and chidings among you? Whether not of your covetings, that fight in your members?

Ye covet, and ye have not; ye slay, and ye have envy, and ye be not able to get [ye slay, and have envy, and ye be not able to get]. Ye chide, and make battle; and ye have not, for that ye ask not.

Ye ask, and ye receive not; for that ye ask evil, as ye show openly in your covetings.

Adulterers, know not ye, that the friendship of this world is enemy to God? Therefore whoever will be the friend of this world, is made the enemy of God.

Whether ye guess [Whether ween ye], that the scripture saith vainly, The spirit that dwelleth in you, coveteth to envy?

But he giveth the more grace [Forsooth he giveth more grace]; for which thing he saith, God withstandeth proud men, but to meek men he giveth grace.

Therefore be ye subject to God; but withstand ye the devil, and he shall flee from you.

Approach ye to God, and he shall approach to you. Ye sinners, cleanse ye the hands, and ye double in soul, purge ye the hearts.[a]

Be ye wretches, and wail ye [and weep ye]; your laughing be [it] turned into weeping, and [your] joy into sorrow of heart.

10 Be ye meeked in the sight of the Lord, and he shall enhance you.

11 My brethren, do not ye backbite each other. He that backbiteth his brother, either that deemeth his brother [or that deemeth his brother], backbiteth the law, and deemeth the law. And if thou deemest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a doomsman.

12 But one is maker of the law, and judge, that may destroy, and deliver [that may lose, and deliver]. And who art thou, that deemest thy neighbour?

13 Lo! now ye, that say, To day either to morrow [To day or to morrow] we shall go into that city, and there we shall dwell a year, and we shall make merchandise, and we shall make winning;

14 which know not [that know not], what is to you in the morrow. For what is your life? A smoke [A vapour, or smoke,] appearing at a little time, and afterward it shall be wasted.

15 Therefore that ye say, If the Lord will, and if we [shall] live, we shall do this thing, either that thing [or that thing].

16 And now ye make full out joy in your prides; every such joying is wicked.

17 Therefore it is sin to him, that knoweth to do good, and doeth not. [Therefore to a man knowing to do good, and not doing, sin is to him.]

Footnotes

  1. James 4:8 Nigh ye to God, and he shall nigh to you. Ye sinners, cleanse the hands, and ye double of will, purge the hearts.

Conflict and fighting come from sensuality and covetousness. The friendship of the world is enmity before God. An exhortation to flee slander and the vanity of this life.

Where do conflict and fighting come from among you? Do they not come from the sensuality and covetousness that reign in your members? You lust, and have not. You envy, and have indignation, and cannot obtain. You fight and war, and have not because you ask not. You ask and receive not because you ask amiss, even to consume it upon your pleasures.

You adulterers and women who break matrimony, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity toward God? Whoever will be a friend of the world, is made the enemy of God. Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the Spirit that dwells in you resists envy, but gives more grace?

Submit yourselves to God. And resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye wavering-minded. Suffer afflictions: sorrow ye, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Cast yourselves down before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Do not backbite one another, brethren. He who speaks against his brother, and he who judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not an observer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, to judge another man?

13 Come now, you who say, Today and tomorrow let us go into such and such a city, and continue there a year, and buy, and sell, and make money, 14 and yet do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what thing is your life? It is even a vapour, which appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Therefore you ought to say, If the Lord so wills, and if we live, let us do this or that. 16 But now you glory in your boastings. All such glorying is evil.

17 Therefore, to him who knows how to do good but does it not, to him it is sin.

1 He reckoneth up the mischiefs that proceed of the works of the flesh. 7 He exhorteth to humility,  8 and to purge the heart 3 from pride, 10 backbiting, 14 and the forgetfulness of our own infirmity.

From [a]whence are wars and contentions among you? are they not hence, even of your pleasures, that fight in your members?

Ye lust, and have not: ye envy, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtain: ye fight, and war, and get nothing, [b]because ye ask not.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye might lay the same on your pleasures.

[c]Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the amity of the world is the enmity of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, maketh himself the enemy of God.

[d]Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us, lusteth after envy?

But the Scripture offereth more grace, and therefore saith, (A)God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

(B)[e]Submit yourselves to God: resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded.

[f]Suffer afflictions, and sorrow ye, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into [g]heaviness.

10 (C)Cast down yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 [h]Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, or he that condemneth his brother, speaketh evil of the Law, and condemneth the Law: and if thou condemnest the Law, thou art not an observer of the Law, but a judge.

12 There is one Lawgiver, which is able to save, and to destroy, (D)Who art thou that judgest another man?

13 [i]Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain,

14 (And yet ye cannot tell what shall be tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and afterward vanisheth away.)

15 For that ye ought to say, (E)If the Lord will, and if we live, we will do this or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

17 [j]Therefore to him that knoweth how to do well, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Footnotes

  1. James 4:1 He goeth on forward in the same argument, condemning certain other causes of wars and contentions, to wit, unbridled pleasures and immoderate lusts, by their effects, for so much as the Lord doth worthily make them void, so that they bring nothing else to them in whom they are but incurable torments.
  2. James 4:2 He reprehendeth them by name, which are not ashamed to go about to make God the minister and helper of their lusts and pleasures, in asking things which either are of themselves unlawful, or being lawful, ask them to wicked purposes and uses.
  3. James 4:4 Another reason why such unbridled lusts and pleasures are utterly to be condemned, to wit, because that he that giveth himself to the world, divorceth himself from God, and breaketh the band of that holy and spiritual marriage.
  4. James 4:5 The taking away of an objection: Indeed our minds run headlong into these vices, but we ought so much the more diligently take heed of them: which care and study shall not be in vain, seeing that God resists the stubborn, and giveth that grace to the modest and humble that surmounteth all those vices.
  5. James 4:7 The conclusion: We must set the contrary virtues against those vices, and therefore whereas we obeyed the suggestions of the devil, we must submit our minds to God, and resist the devil, with a certain and assured hope of victory: To be short, we must employ ourselves to come near unto God by purity and sincerity of life.
  6. James 4:9 He goeth on in the same comparison of contraries, and setteth against those profane joys with an earnest sorrow of mind, and against pride and arrogance, holy modesty.
  7. James 4:9 By this word the Greeks meant an heaviness joined with shamefastness, which is to be seen in a cast down countenance, and settled as it were upon the ground.
  8. James 4:11 He reprehended most sharply another double mischief of pride: the one is in that the proud and arrogant will have other men to live according to their will and pleasure and therefore they do most arrogantly condemn whatsoever pleaseth them not: which thing cannot be done without great injury to our only Lawmaker, for by this means his Laws are found fault withal, as not circumspectly enough written, and men challenge that unto themselves which properly belongeth to God alone, in that they lay a Law upon men’s consciences.
  9. James 4:13 The other fault is this: that men do so confidently determine upon these and those matters and businesses, as though that every moment of their life did not depend of God.
  10. James 4:17 The conclusion of all the former treatise: The knowledge of the will of God doth not only nothing at all profit, unless the life be answerable unto it, but also maketh the sins far more grievous.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.