James 4 Parallel Bible Translations

James 4 ▼
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1 FROM whence come conflicts and quarrels among you? Is it not from the lusts that war 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 You covet, and do not obtain; you kill and envy, but you cannot possess; you strive and fight, yet you have nothing, because you do not ask. 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 You ask and you do not receive because you do not ask sincerely, you ask that you may satisfy your lusts. 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 O you adulterers! Do you not know that the love for worldly things is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, esteems worldly things is the enemy 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 Or do you think that the scripture said in vain, The pride that dwells in us is provoked by jealousy? 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 our LORD has given us abundant grace. Therefore he said, God humbles the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 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 yourselves therefore to God. Resist Satan, and he will 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 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, O you sinners! And purify your hearts, O you of doubtful mind! 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 Humble yourselves, and mourn; let your laughter be turned to weeping, and your joy to sorrow. 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 yourselves before the LORD and he shall lift you up. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Do not speak against one another, my brethren, for he who speaks against his brother, and judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. 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 For there is one lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: who are you to judge your neighbor? 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 What then shall we say of those who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city, and will work there a year, and will trade and prosper? 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 They do not know what will happen tomorrow! For what is our life? It is but a vapour, which appears for a little while, and then vanishes 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 Instead of that they should say, If the LORD will, we shall live, and 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 they are proud in their boasting: all such pride is evil. 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 Therefore he who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin. 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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