James 4James4

King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

1. A Warning against Pride

2. 1KJVFrom whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?BSBBSB: What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?
3. 2KJVYe lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.BSBBSB: You 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.
4. 3KJVYe ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.BSBBSB: And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
5. 4KJVYe adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.BSBBSB: You 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.
6. 5KJVDo ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?BSBBSB: Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
7. 6KJVBut he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.BSBBSB: But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

8. Drawing Near to God

9. 7KJVSubmit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.BSBBSB: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
10. 8KJVDraw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.BSBBSB: Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
11. 9KJVBe afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.BSBBSB: Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
12. 10KJVHumble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.BSBBSB: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
13. 11KJVSpeak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.BSBBSB: Brothers, 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.
14. 12KJVThere is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?BSBBSB: There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

15. Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

    (Proverbs 27:1)

16. 13KJVGo to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:BSBBSB: Come 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.”
17. 14KJVWhereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.BSBBSB: 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.
18. 15KJVFor that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.BSBBSB: Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
19. 16KJVBut now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.BSBBSB: As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.
20. 17KJVTherefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.BSBBSB: Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.