James 4

1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members?

Where do the fights and quarrels you're having come from? Aren't they due to the sensual passions that are in conflict within you?

2 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.

You burn with desire, but don't get what you want. You kill for what you lust after, but don't get what you're looking for. You argue and you fight, but you don't get anything, because you don't pray for it.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.

You pray, but don't receive anything, because you ask with a wrong motive, wanting to spend what you'd receive on your selfish pleasures.

4 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.

You adulterous people! Don't you realize that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Those who want to be friends of the world make themselves enemies of God.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Do you think Scripture doesn't mean what it says: that the spirit that he put in us is very jealous?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

But God gives us even more grace, as Scripture says: “God is against those who are arrogant, but gives grace to those who are humble.”

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So place yourself under God's direction. Confront the devil, and he will run away from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.

Come close to God and he will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your way of thinking, you people with divided loyalties.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

Show some remorse, cry and weep! Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy to sadness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Be humble before the Lord and he will 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.

Friends, don't speak badly of one another. Anyone who criticizes a fellow-believer and condemns them, criticizes and condemns the law. If you condemn the law you're not someone who keeps the law, because you're sitting in judgment of it.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

There's only one lawgiver and judge—the one who can either save or destroy you—so who are you to judge your neighbor?

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:

Come on now!—you people who say, “Either today or tomorrow we'll go to such-and-such a city, spend a year in business there, and make a profit.”

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.

You have no idea what will happen tomorrow! What's your life like? It's just a mist that appears for a little while, and then is gone.

15 For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

What you should say is, “If it's the Lord's will, we'll live like this and plan to do that.”

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

But right now you're caught up in your vain ideas. All this boasting is evil.

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

For it is a sin if you know to do what's right but don't do it.