| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? | 1What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don't they come from the cravings that are at war within you? |
| 2Ye 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. | 2You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. |
| 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. | 3You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires. |
| 4Ye 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. | 4Adulteresses! Don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy. |
| 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? | 5Or do you think it's without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously? |
| 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. | 6But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. |
| 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. | 7Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. |
| 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. | 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! |
| 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. | 9Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. |
| 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. | 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. |
| 11Speak 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. | 11Don't criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. |
| 12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? | 12There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? |
| 13Go 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: | 13Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." |
| 14Whereas 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. | 14You don't even know what tomorrow will bring--what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. |
| 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. | 15Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." |
| 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. | 16But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. |
| 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. | 17So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it. |
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