13 (A)Come now, you who say, “(B)Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 [a]Yet you do not know [b]what your life will be like tomorrow. (C)For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15 [c]Instead, you ought to say, “(D)If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your [d]arrogance; (E)all such boasting is evil. 17 So (F)for one who knows the [e]right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:14 Lit Who do not
  2. James 4:14 Or what will happen tomorrow. What kind of life is yours?
  3. James 4:15 Lit Instead of your saying
  4. James 4:16 Or pretensions
  5. James 4:17 Or good

Arrogant Boasting About the Future

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there, and carry on business and make a profit,” 14 you who do not know what will happen tomorrow[a], what your life will be like[b]. For you are a smoky vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears. 15 Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

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Footnotes

  1. James 4:14 Literally “the circumstance of tomorrow”
  2. James 4:14 Literally “of what sort your life”