James 4 Parallel Bible Translations

James 4 ▼
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1 Whence wars and fights among you? are they not hence, out of your sensual pleasures making 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 Ye eagerly desire, and have not: ye kill, and are zealous, and cannot succeed: ye fight and wage war, and ye have not, because ye ask 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 ask, and receive not, because ye ask wickedly that ye might expend upon your sensual pleasures. 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 Adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is the enmity of God? whoever therefore would wish to be the friend of the world is set 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 think ye that the writing says vainly, That the spirit longs for envy, which dwelt in us? 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 And he gives greater grace. Wherefore he says, God resists 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 Be subjected therefore to God. Resist the accuser, 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 the hands, ye sinful; and purify the hearts, ye double souled. 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 Toil, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and joy to dejection. 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 Be ye humbled before the Lord, and he will 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 Speak not against one another, brethren. He speaking against a brother, and judging his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law: and if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 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 legislator, able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest 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 Come on now, ye saying, To day or to morrow let us go to this city, and do there one year, and let us trade, and derive profit: 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 (Which know not that of the morrow. For what your life? For it is a steam, appearing for a little, and then invisible.) 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 you should say, If the Lord will, and we live, and should 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 And now ye boast in your arrogance: all such boasting 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 to him knowing to do good, and not doing, 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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