James 4

1 Whence wars and whence fightings among you? are they not from hence—due to your pleasures which are taking the field in your members?

From where are wars and fightings among you? Is it not from here: from your pleasures warring in your body-parts?

2 Ye covet—and have not, ye commit murder, and are jealous—and cannot obtain, —ye fight and war. Ye have not—because ye do not really ask,

Ye desire and do not have, so ye murder. And ye envy and cannot obtain, so ye fight and make war. Ye do not have, because ye do not ask.

3 Ye ask and receive not, because that, basely, ye ask, in order that, in your pleasures, ye may spend [it].

Ye ask, and do not receive, because ye ask wrongly, so that ye may spend on your pleasures.

4 Adulteresses! Know ye not that, the friendship of the world, is, enmity to God? Whosoever, therefore, is minded to be, a friend, of the world, an enemy of God, doth constitute himself.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is hatred of God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

5 Or think ye that, in vain, the scripture speaketh? Is it, for envying, that the spirit which hath taken an abode within us doth crave?

Or think ye that the scripture says vainly, The Spirit that he caused to dwell in us yearns with jealousy?

6 Howbeit he giveth, greater, favour. Wherefore it saith—God, against the haughty, arrayeth himself, Whereas, unto the lowly, he giveth favour.

But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, God is opposed to the arrogant, but gives grace to the lowly.

7 Range yourselves, therefore, under God, but withstand the adversary, and he will flee from you:

Be subordinate therefore to God, but resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. Cleanse hands, sinners! Chasten hearts, double souls!

Approach God and he will approach you. Cleanse the hands, ye sinners, and purify the hearts, ye double-minded.

9 Be miserable and lament and weep, let, your laughter, into lamentation, be turned, and, your joy, into dejection;

Be ye sorrowful, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into a downcast look.

10 Be made low in presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Be ye made lower in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 Be not speaking one against another, brethren! He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against law, and judgeth law; Now, if, upon law, thou art passing judgment, thou art not a doer of law, but a judge!

Speak not against each other, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against law and judges law. But if thou judge law, thou are not a doer of law, but a judge.

12 One, is Lawgiver and Judge—He who hath power to save and to destroy; but who art, thou, that judgest thy neighbour?

There is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy, but thou, who are thou who judge the other man?

13 Come now! ye that say—Today or To-morrow, we will journey unto this city here, and will spend there a year, and will trade and get gain, —

Go now, men who say, Today and tomorrow we will go into this city, and will operate one year there, and will engage in trade and will get gain-

14 Men who are not versed in the morrow—of what sort your life [will be]; for ye are, a vapour—for a little, appearing, then, just disappearing!

men who know not of the morrow. For what is your life? For it will be a vapor that appears for a little while, and then also vanishes away-

15 Instead of your saying—If, the Lord, be pleased, we shall both, live and do this or that;

in place of your saying, If the Lord should will, then we will live and do this or that.

16 Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: —All boasting like this, is, wicked,

But now ye boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

17 To him, therefore, who knoweth how to be doing, a right thing, and is not doing it, it is, sin, unto him.

He therefore who knows to do good, and is not doing it, to him it is sin.