James 4
Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899)Translation
Douay-Rheims Bible, American Edition (1899)
Berean Standard Bible
1From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?
1What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?
2You covet, and have not: you kill, and envy, and can not obtain. You contend and war, and you have not, because you ask not.
2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.
3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
4Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God.
4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
5Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?
5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
6But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.
9Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
10Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.
10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
12There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.
12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
13But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffic, and make our gain.
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
14Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.
14You 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.
15For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and if we shall live, we will do this or that.
15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
16But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.
16As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.
17To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.
17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
Tip: use the ← and → keys to turn chapters.