James 4:8-17 ▼

8 Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the Lord's presence, and he will exalt you.

11 Do not criticize each other, brothers. Whoever makes it his habit to criticize his brother or to judge his brother is judging the Law and condemning the Law. But if you condemn the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but its judge.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge—the one who can save and destroy. So who are you to judge your neighbor?

13 Now listen, you who say, |Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.|

14 You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

15 Instead you should say, |If the Lord wants us to, we will live—and do this or that.|

16 But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin.