James 4
What Happens in This Chapter
James asks where the fights among his readers come from, and says they come from the wants at war inside them. He tells them to come close to God, to be humble, and to stop speaking against one another, since there is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He then warns people who plan a whole year of business without saying "if the Lord is willing," because no one knows what tomorrow holds. The chapter ends by saying that knowing the right thing to do and not doing it is sin.
Plain reading written for kids. Short sentences, everyday words, one idea at a time.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
1Why do you fight and argue with each other? It comes from the strong wants that fight inside you.
"Lusts" in the old English here means any strong wanting, not only a wanting about sex.
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.
2You want things, and you do not get them. You kill, and you want more, and still you cannot get it. You fight and you argue. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
3And when you do ask, you do not get it. That is because you ask for the wrong reason. You only want to spend it on your own pleasure.
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.
4You have broken your promise to God! Don't you know that being a friend of the world means being against God? Anyone who chooses to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy.
James calls them "adulterers," a word for people who break their marriage promise. He is talking about people who promised to belong to God and then turned away.
5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
5Do you think the Bible says this for no reason? The spirit God put inside us wants us all for himself.
6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
6But God gives us even more kindness and help. That is why the Bible says, "God stands against proud people. But he is kind to humble people, who do not brag."
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
7So give yourself to God and do what he says. Say no to the devil, and he will run away from you.
8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
8Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Wash your hands, you who do wrong. Make your hearts clean, you who keep switching sides.
9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
9Be sad about what you have done. Mourn and cry. Let your laughing turn into crying. Let your happy feelings turn into sadness.
10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
10Make yourself humble in front of the Lord. Then he will lift you up.
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.
11Brothers and sisters, do not say bad things about each other. Anyone who speaks against another believer, or judges him, is speaking against God's law. He is judging the law itself. And if you judge the law, you are not obeying it. You have made yourself its judge.
12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge. He is the one who can save people or destroy them. So who are you to judge someone else?
13Go 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:
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this city. We will stay there a year. We will do business and make money."
"Go to now" is old English for "Now listen" or "Come now." It is a way of getting someone's attention.
14Whereas 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.
14But you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is like a puff of mist. It shows up for a little while. Then it is gone.
15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
15Instead you should say, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."
16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
16But instead you brag about your big plans. All bragging like that is evil.
17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
17So if you know the right thing to do, and you do not do it, you have sinned.
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