James 4

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?	1 Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
2 You covet, and have not: you kill, and envy, and can not obtain. You contend and war, and you have not, because you ask not.	2 You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask.
3 You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.	3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
4 Adulterers, 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.	4 Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?	5 Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, "The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy"?
6 But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.	6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
7 Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.	7 So submit yourselves 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.	8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.	9 Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.
10 Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.	10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
11 Detract 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.	11 Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.	12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?
13 But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffic, and make our gain.	13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit"--
14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.	14 you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
15 For 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.	15 Instead you should say, "If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that."
16 But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.	16 But now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
17 To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.	17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.