Online Bible

Epistle of James, Chapter 4

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James 4 NWT - New World TranslationJames 4 NWT - New World Translation

Chapter 4 of James—New World Translation (NWT)

  1. ¶ From what source are there wars and from what source are there fights among YOU? Are they not from this source,1 namely, from YOUR cravings for sensual pleasure that carry on a conflict in YOUR members?2
  2. YOU desire, and yet YOU do not have. YOU go on murdering3 and coveting,[a]4 and yet YOU are not able to obtain. YOU go on fighting5 and waging war. YOU do not have because of YOUR not asking.
  3. YOU do ask, and yet YOU do not receive, because YOU are asking for a wrong purpose,6 that YOU may expend [it] upon YOUR cravings for sensual pleasure.7
  4. ¶ Adulteresses,[b]8 do YOU not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God?9 Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend10 of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.11
  5. Or does it seem to YOU that the scripture says to no purpose: “It is with a tendency to envy that the spirit12 which has taken up residence within us keeps longing”?
  6. However, the undeserved kindness which he gives is greater.13 Hence it says: “God opposes the haughty ones,14 but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones.”15
  7. ¶ Subject yourselves,16 therefore, to God; but oppose[c] the Devil,17 and he will flee from YOU.18
  8. Draw close to God, and he will draw close to YOU.19 Cleanse YOUR hands, YOU sinners,20 and purify YOUR hearts,21 YOU indecisive[d]22 ones.
  9. Give way to misery and mourn and weep.23 Let YOUR laughter be turned into mourning, and [YOUR] joy into dejection.24
  10. Humble yourselves in the eyes of Jehovah,[e]25 and he will exalt YOU.26
  11. ¶ Quit speaking against one another, brothers.27 He who speaks against a brother or judges28 his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are, not a doer of law, but a judge.29
  12. One there is that is lawgiver and judge,30 he who is able to save and to destroy.31 But you, who are you to be judging [your] neighbor?32
  13. ¶ Come, now, YOU who say: “Today or tomorrow we will journey to this city and will spend a year there, and we will engage in business and make profits,”33
  14. whereas YOU do not know what YOUR life will be tomorrow.34 For YOU are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing.35
  15. Instead, YOU ought to say: “If Jehovah[f] wills,36 we shall live and also do this or that.”37
  16. But now YOU take pride in YOUR self-assuming brags.38 All such taking of pride is wicked.
  17. Therefore, if one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it,39 it is a sin40 for him.

FOOTNOTES

  1. ^ Or, “and are jealous.”
  2. ^ “Adulteresses.” Lat., a·dulʹte·ri.
  3. ^ Lit., “stand you against.”
  4. ^ Lit., “two-souled.”
  5. ^ See App 1D.
  6. ^ See App 1D.

REFERENCES

  1. ^ Jm 3:14
  2. ^ Ro 7:23; Ga 5:17; 1Pe 2:11
  3. ^ 1Jo 3:15
  4. ^ Col 3:5
  5. ^ Mt 5:22; Jm 3:16
  6. ^ Is 1:15; Zc 7:13
  7. ^ Mc 3:4; 1Jo 3:22
  8. ^ Eze 16:15
  9. ^ 2Ch 19:2; Jn 15:19; 17:14; 1Jo 5:19
  10. ^ Lu 6:26; Ga 1:10
  11. ^ Jn 18:36; Ro 8:7; 1Jo 2:15
  12. ^ Ge 8:21
  13. ^ Jn 1:16
  14. ^ Ps 138:6; Is 2:11
  15. ^ Pr 3:34; 1Pe 5:5
  16. ^ Ro 10:3; Heb 12:9; 1Pe 2:17
  17. ^ Eph 4:27; 6:11
  18. ^ Mt 4:10, 11; Lu 4:13
  19. ^ Is 44:22; 55:6
  20. ^ Is 1:16
  21. ^ 1Jo 3:3
  22. ^ Jm 1:8
  23. ^ Jl 2:12
  24. ^ Lu 6:25; Re 3:17
  25. ^ 2Ch 7:14; 33:13; Ps 34:15; Zc 4:10; 1Pe 3:12
  26. ^ Pr 29:23; Mt 23:12
  27. ^ Le 19:16; Pr 17:9
  28. ^ Lu 6:37
  29. ^ Mt 7:1
  30. ^ Is 33:22
  31. ^ Mt 10:28; Jd 15
  32. ^ Ro 14:4
  33. ^ Pr 27:1; Lu 12:18
  34. ^ Jb 14:1; Ps 39:6; Ec 6:12
  35. ^ Ps 102:3; 1Pe 1:24
  36. ^ Ps 40:8; 143:10; Jn 4:34; Ac 18:21
  37. ^ Ps 34:2; Heb 6:3
  38. ^ Ps 52:7; Is 47:10
  39. ^ Lu 12:47
  40. ^ Jn 9:41; 15:22

Read James Chapter 4 in other Bible versions:

Comments

  1. David yakubuDavid yakubu
    Oct 29, 2022 08:05 GMT

    When i do read some comments and seeing that its the same people that are supposed to be called believers but are talking ill of other denominations, it hurts. Let us all remember that We should judge not

    1. jonas smithjonas smith
      Apr 23, 2023 02:57 GMT

      The bible tells us to test the spirits. Satan disguises himself as angel of light. So yes some denomination are not teaching the truth. You are responsible for judging which ones are not. You have to judge the truth at all times. this is what the bible teaches

  2. THTH
    Apr 7, 2021 00:20 GMT

    The NWT is a very good translation. Dr. Jason David BeDuhn PhD attests to that in his book Truth in Translation. drive.google.com/...5p16melHzg8/view

    1. jim mcleodjim mcleod
      Aug 22, 2021 06:16 GMT

      NWT is a false translation that takes away from the deity of Jesus !

  3. SlightlyChaoticSlightlyChaotic
    Jan 30, 2021 16:33 GMT

    Thank you for taking the time to provide this service. I like seeing the NASB on your web page in the same format as I read on paper. On other sites, the text area is smaller, and so I have to keep scrolling down to read and sometimes I lose the context. So I really appreciate the format.

    As far as the NWT, you are certainly free to do whatever you think best with your own web pages. I'd suggest that you make a note anytime you have a translation that is associated with only one denomination or church, for example:
    New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness version).

    In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. the main idea seems to be that you can't easily distinguish between God's people and not-God's people on this earth, so our Lord's response is to wait until they are shown to be the kind of people they are inside. But the NWT seems like false teaching to me. So I think the warning passages from Jesus' apostles are more applicable, as in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he talks about Paul's writings:
    "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures."
    And we also have the positive exhortations, as in 2 Timothy 2:15:
    "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

    1. BroderickBroderick
      Jan 31, 2021 00:57 GMT

      Your suggestion regarding the denominational flagging is duly noted. But I can’t help but wonder, wouldn’t a Catholic also want “Protestant versions” marked as well?

      As for the parable, I’m pretty sure the slaves were convinced in their own minds that they could tell the tares from the wheat. After all, aren’t they the ones who identified the problem in the first place? But the master obviously thought otherwise.

      Furthermore, even at the time when Jesus himself was walking the earth, not everybody who claimed fellowship actually followed him causing John to inquire at Mark 9:39, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him . . . for he who is not against us is for us.”

  4. Joshua HarderJoshua Harder
    Dec 11, 2020 17:48 GMT

    Hello, question.. why have you included the NWT with other legitimate bible translations? Or why have you not atleast included a warning to readers? Don't you fear that someone could be influenced by the Watchtower's intentional heresies? Thank you.

    1. KevinKevin
      Jul 11, 2021 17:45 GMT

      en.m.wikipedia.org/..._Holy_Scriptures

      See the section critical review

  5. julietjuliet
    Aug 17, 2022 09:36 GMT

    the sky is blue

  6. mercymercy
    Aug 12, 2022 21:23 GMT

    i am Mercy, the sky is blue what else do you need

    1. mercymercy
      Aug 12, 2022 21:25 GMT

      i am so sorry, it was a big mistake

  7. God is able to do all thingsGod is able to do all things
    May 17, 2021 17:59 GMT

    Jesus how much love calling yo name

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