James 4 Parallel Bible Translations

James 4
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BISHOPS
Bishops' Bible of 1568
ESV
English Standard Version
NIV
New International Version
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1 From whence cometh warre and fightyng among you? come they not here hence, euen of your lustes that fight in your members? What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?
2 Ye lust, and haue not: Ye enuie, and haue indignation, and can not obtayne: Ye fyght and warre, ye haue not, because ye aske not. You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
3 Ye aske and receaue not, because ye aske amisse, euen to consume it vpon your lustes. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 Ye adulterers & adultresses, knowe you not howe that the frendship of the world is enmitie with God? Whosoeuer therfore wylbe a friende of the worlde, is made the enemie of God. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
5 Either do ye thynke that the scripture sayth in vayne, the spirite that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie? Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?
6 But the scripture offereth more grace, and therefore sayth, God resisteth the proude, but geueth grace vnto ye lowlie. But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”
7 Submit your selues therfore to God: but resist the deuyll, and he wyll flee from you. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Drawe nye to God, and he wyll drawe nye to you. Clense your handes ye sinners, and purifie your heartes ye double mynded. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Suffer afflictions, and mourne, and weepe: Let your laughter be turned to mournyng, and your ioy to heauinesse. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble your selues in the sight of the Lorde, and he shall lyft you vp. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Backbite not one another brethren. He that backbiteth his brother, and he that iudgeth his brother, backbiteth ye lawe, and iudgeth the lawe: But and yf thou iudge the lawe, thou art not an obseruer of the lawe, but a iudge. Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
12 There is one lawe geuer, which is able to saue and to destroy. What art thou that iudgest another? There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Go to nowe ye that say, to day and to morowe let vs go into such a citie, and continue there a yere, and bye and sell, and wynne: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
14 And yet can not ye tel what shall happen on the morowe. For what thyng is your lyfe? It is euen a vapour, that appeareth for a litle tyme, and then he vanisheth away. yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
15 For that ye ought to say: If the Lorde wyll, and yf we lyue, let vs do this or that. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
16 But now ye reioyce in your boastinges: All such reioycyng is euyll. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
17 Therfore to hym that knoweth howe to do good, and doth it not, to hym it is sinne. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
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