0 SAB James 4

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe. 2:19

Trivia: What did James say you should do if you're happy (and your know it)?

James

CHAPTER 4

Wars, lusts, and friends of the world
4:1-10

1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

War and fighting comes from your lusts.

2Ye 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.

You lust for things you don't have,

and fight wars and kill for them.

You don't have, because you don't ask.

3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

And when you ask, you don't receive because you ask wrong.

You ask to satisfy your lusts.

4Ye 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.

You adulterers and adulteresses!

Whoever is a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Do you think the scripture is wrong that says, [1]

The spirit in us lusts to envy.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. [2]

Don't judge or speak badly of others
4:11-13

11Speak 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.

Don't say bad things about one another.

12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

13 Go 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:

There's one lawgiver who can save and destroy. [3]

Who are you to judge another? [4]

Dust in the wind
4:14-17

14 Whereas 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.

15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

You don't know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life?

It is a vapor that is here for a little while,

and then vanishes away. [5]

17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

If you know how to do good and don't do it,

you are sinning.

«
»

Copyright © 1999-2024
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible

Send comments to Steve Wells
at swwells(at)gmail.com