James Chapter 4

1 And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

2 For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind:

3 but the tongue can no man tame;

4 it is a restless evil,

5 it is full of deadly poison.

6 Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God:

7 out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

8 Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet

9 water and bitter?

10 can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither

11 can salt water yield sweet.

12 Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom.

13 But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth.

14 This wisdom is not

15 a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Whence [come] wars and whence fightings among you? [Is it] not thence, — from your pleasures, which war in your members?

2 Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.

4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity withGod? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy ofGod.

5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says,God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.

7 Subject yourselves therefore toGod. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near toGod, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.

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

10 Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.

11 Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.

12 One is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou who judgest thy neighbour?

13 Go to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,

14 ye who do not know what will be on the morrow, ([for] what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing,)

15 instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.

16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

17 To him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Unde bella, et lites in vobis? Nonne hinc? ex concupiscentiis vestris, quæ militant in membris vestris?

2 Concupiscitis, et non habetis: occiditis, et zelatis: et non potestis adipisci: litigatis, et belligeratis, et non habetis, propter quod non postulatis.

3 Petitis, et non accipitis: eo quod male petatis: ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.

4 Adulteri nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi, inimica est Dei? Quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse sæculi huius, inimicus Dei constituitur.

5 An putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat: Ad invidiam concupiscit spiritus, qui habitat in vobis?

6 Maiorem autem dat gratiam. Propter quod dicit: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam.

7 Subditi ergo estote Deo, resistite autem diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.

8 Appropinquate Deo, et appropinquabit vobis. Emundate manus, peccatores: et purificate corda, duplices animo.

9 Miseri estote, et lugete, et plorate: risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in mœrorem.

10 Humiliamini in conspectu Domini, et exaltabit vos.

11 Nolite detrahere alterutrum fratres. Qui detrahit fratri, aut qui iudicat fratrem suum, detrahit legi, et iudicat legem. Si autem iudicas legem: non es factor legis, sed iudex.

12 Unus est legislator, et iudex, qui potest perdere, et liberare.

13 Tu autem quis es, qui iudicas proximum? Ecce nunc qui dicitis: Hodie, aut crastino ibimus in illam civitatem, et faciemus ibi quidem annum, et mercabimur, et lucrum faciemus:

14 qui ignoratis quid erit in crastino.

15 Quæ est enim vita vestra? vapor est ad modicum parens, et deinceps exterminabitur; pro eo ut dicatis: Si Dominus voluerit. Et: Si vixerimus, faciemus hoc, aut illud.

16 Nunc autem exultatis in superbiis vestris. Omnis exultatio talis, maligna est.

17 Scienti igitur bonum facere, et non facienti, peccatum est illi.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.

3 You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Be subject 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. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11 Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

12 Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another?

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

14 Yet you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.”

16 But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.

17 To him therefore who knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.

wh1881 (wh1881) - Westcott-Hort Greek NT 1881 eBible USFM

1 ποθεν πολεμοι και ποθεν μαχαι εν υμιν ουκ εντευθεν εκ των ηδονων υμων των στρατευομενων εν τοις μελεσιν υμων

2 επιθυμειτε και ουκ εχετε φονευετε και ζηλουτε και ου δυνασθε επιτυχειν μαχεσθε και πολεμειτε ουκ εχετε δια το μη αιτεισθαι υμας

3 αιτειτε και ου λαμβανετε διοτι κακως αιτεισθε ινα εν ταις ηδοναις υμων δαπανησητε

4 μοιχαλιδες ουκ οιδατε οτι η φιλια του κοσμου εχθρα του θεου εστιν ος εαν ουν βουληθη φιλος ειναι του κοσμου εχθρος του θεου καθισταται

5 η δοκειτε οτι κενως η γραφη λεγει προς φθονον επιποθει το πνευμα ο κατωκισεν εν ημιν

6 μειζονα δε διδωσιν χαριν διο λεγει ο θεος υπερηφανοις αντιτασσεται ταπεινοις δε διδωσιν χαριν

7 υποταγητε ουν τω θεω αντιστητε δε τω διαβολω και φευξεται αφ υμων

8 εγγισατε τω θεω και εγγισει υμιν καθαρισατε χειρας αμαρτωλοι και αγνισατε καρδιας διψυχοι

9 ταλαιπωρησατε και πενθησατε και κλαυσατε ο γελως υμων εις πενθος μετατραπητω και η χαρα εις κατηφειαν

10 ταπεινωθητε ενωπιον κυριου και υψωσει υμας

11 μη καταλαλειτε αλληλων αδελφοι ο καταλαλων αδελφου η κρινων τον αδελφον αυτου καταλαλει νομου και κρινει νομον ει δε νομον κρινεις ουκ ει ποιητης νομου αλλα κριτης

12 εις εστιν νομοθετης και κριτης ο δυναμενος σωσαι και απολεσαι συ δε τις ει ο κρινων τον πλησιον

13 αγε νυν οι λεγοντες σημερον η αυριον πορευσομεθα εις τηνδε την πολιν και ποιησομεν εκει ενιαυτον και εμπορευσομεθα και κερδησομεν

14 οιτινες ουκ επιστασθε της αυριον ποια η ζωη υμων ατμις γαρ εστε προς ολιγον φαινομενη επειτα και αφανιζομενη

15 αντι του λεγειν υμας εαν ο κυριος θελη και ζησομεν και ποιησομεν τουτο η εκεινο

16 νυν δε καυχασθε εν ταις αλαζονειαις υμων πασα καυχησις τοιαυτη πονηρα εστιν

17 ειδοτι ουν καλον ποιειν και μη ποιουντι αμαρτια αυτω εστιν

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Whence <FI>are<Fi> wars and fightings among you? not thence--out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?

2 ye desire, and ye have not; ye murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; ye fight and war, and ye have not, because of your not asking;

3 ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend <FI>it<Fi> .

4 Adulterers and adulteresses! have ye not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, an enemy of God he is set.

5 Do ye think that emptily the Writing saith, `To envy earnestly desireth the spirit that did dwell in us,'

6 and greater grace he doth give, wherefore he saith, `God against proud ones doth set Himself up, and to lowly ones He doth give grace?'

7 be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;

8 draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you; cleanse hands, ye sinners! and purify hearts, ye two-souled!

9 be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter to mourning be turned, and the joy to heaviness;

10 be made low before the Lord, and He shall exalt you.

11 Speak not one against another, brethren; he who is speaking against a brother, and is judging his brother, doth speak against law, and doth judge law, and if law thou dost judge, thou art not a doer of law but a judge;

12 one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; thou--who art thou that dost judge the other?

13 Go, now, ye who are saying, `To-day and to-morrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;'

14 who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;

15 instead of your saying, `If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'

16 and now ye glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;

17 to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing, sin it is to him.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).