The General Epistle of James

⭑ Catholic Public Domain :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 4 -

Where do wars and contentions among you come from? Is it not from this: from your own desires, which battle within your members?

You desire, and you do not have. You envy and you kill, and you are unable to obtain. You argue and you fight, and you do not have, because you do not ask.

You ask and you do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may use it toward your own desires.

You adulterers! Do you not know that the friendship of this world is hostile to God? Therefore, whoever has chosen to be a friend of this world has been made into an enemy of God.

Or do you think that Scripture says in vain: “The spirit which lives within you desires unto envy?”

But he gives a greater grace. Therefore he says: “God resists the arrogant, but he gives grace to the humble.”

Drawing Near to God

Therefore, be subject to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners! And purify your hearts, you duplicitous souls!

Be afflicted: mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your gladness into sorrow.

Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Brothers, do not choose to slander one another. Whoever slanders his brother, or whoever judges his brother, slanders the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

There is one lawgiver and one judge. He is able to destroy, and he is able to set free.

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

(Proverbs 27:1)

But who are you to judge your neighbor? Consider this, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into that city, and certainly we will spend a year there, and we will do business, and we will make our profit,”

consider that you do not know what will be tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a brief time, and afterwards will vanish away. So what you ought to say is: “If the Lord wills,” or, “If we live,” we will do this or that.

But now you exult in your arrogance. All such exultation is wicked.

Therefore, he who knows that he ought to do a good thing, and does not do it, for him it is a sin.

Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members?

You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.

You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”(a)

Drawing Near to God

Be subject therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a 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.

Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

(Proverbs 27:1)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

Yet you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

For you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.”

But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.

To him therefore who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

Footnotes

(a)4:6 ℘ Proverbs 3:34