James 4
Things to Avoid
1 ▼▼Lit From where wars and from where fightings
What is the source of quarrels and bconflicts among you? ▼▼Lit Are they not from here, from your
Is the source not your pleasures that wage dwar in ▼▼Lit your parts
your body’s parts? 2You lust and do not have, so you fcommit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3You ask and gdo not receive, because you ask ▼▼Lit wrongly
with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request ▼▼Lit in
on your pleasures. 4You jadulteresses, do you not know that friendship with kthe world is lhostility toward God? mTherefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture nsays to no purpose, “ ▼▼Or The spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy
He ▼▼Lit desires to jealousy
jealously desires qthe Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? 6But rHe gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “ sGod is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 tSubmit therefore to God. But ▼▼Or oppose
,
vresist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 wCome close to God and He will come close to you. xCleanse your hands, you sinners; and ypurify your hearts, you ▼▼I.e., chronic doubters
,
aadouble-minded. 9 abBe miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 acHumble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. 11 adDo not speak against one another, aebrothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or afjudges his brother or sister, speaks against agthe law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not aha doer of the law but a judge of it. 12There is only one aiLawgiver and Judge, the One who is ajable to save and to destroy; but akwho are you, ▼▼Lit the one judging
judging your neighbor? 13 amCome now, you who say, “ anToday 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 ▼▼Lit Who do not
Yet you do not know ▼▼Or what will happen tomorrow. What kind of life is yours?
what your life will be like tomorrow. aqFor you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15 ▼▼Lit Instead of your saying
Instead, you ought to say, “ asIf the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16But as it is, you boast in your ▼▼Or pretensions
arrogance; auall such boasting is evil. 17So avfor one who knows the ▼▼Or good
right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.
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