James 4

Things to Avoid

11What is the source of quarrels and 2conflicts among you? 3Is the source not your pleasures that wage 4war in 5your body’s parts? 2You lust and do not have, so you 6commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3You ask and 7do not receive, because you ask 8with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request 9on your pleasures. 4You 10adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with 11the world is 12hostility toward God? 13Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture 14says to no purpose, “15He 16jealously desires 17the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? 6But 18He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “19God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 720Submit therefore to God. But 2122resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 823Come close to God and He will come close to you. 24Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and 25purify your hearts, you 2627double-minded. 928Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 1029Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

1130Do not speak against one another, 31brothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or 32judges his brother or sister, speaks against 33the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not 34a doer of the law but a judge of it. 12There is only one 35Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is 36able to save and to destroy; but 37who are you, 38judging your neighbor?

1339Come now, you who say, “40Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 1441Yet you do not know 42what your life will be like tomorrow. 43For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 1544Instead, you ought to say, “45If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16But as it is, you boast in your 46arrogance; 47all such boasting is evil. 17So 48for one who knows the 49right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.