James
3:13-4:10
James
3
(13) Who is wise and understanding
among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of
wisdom.
(14) But if you have bitter
jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the
truth.
(15) This is not the wisdom that
comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
(16) For where jealousy and selfish
ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
(17) But the wisdom from above is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good
fruits, impartial and sincere.
(18) And a harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace by those who make peace.
James
4
(1) What causes quarrels and what
causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your
passions are at war within you?
(2) You desire and do not have, so
you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not
have, because you do not ask.
(3) You ask and do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
(4) You adulterous people! Do you
not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever
wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
(5) Or do you suppose it is to no
purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that
he has made to dwell in us"?
(6) But he gives more grace.
Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the
humble."
(7) Submit yourselves therefore to
God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(8) Draw near to God, and he will
draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
double-minded.
(9) Be
wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your
joy to gloom.
(10) Humble yourselves before the
Lord, and he will exalt you.