James 4

Wycliffe Bible

4 Whereof be battles and chidings among you? Whether not of your covetings, that fight in your members?

² Ye covet, and ye have not; ye slay, and ye have envy, and ye be not able to get [ye slay, and have envy, and ye be not able to get]. Ye chide, and make battle; and ye have not, for that ye ask not.

³ Ye ask, and ye receive not; for that ye ask evil, as ye show openly in your covetings.

⁴ Adulterers, know not ye, that the friendship of this world is enemy to God? Therefore whoever will be the friend of this world, is made the enemy of God.

⁵ Whether ye guess [Whether ween ye], that the scripture saith vainly, The spirit that dwelleth in you, coveteth to envy?

⁶ But he giveth the more grace [Forsooth he giveth more grace]; for which thing he saith, God withstandeth proud men, but to meek men he giveth grace.

⁷ Therefore be ye subject to God; but withstand ye the devil, and he shall flee from you.

⁸ Approach ye to God, and he shall approach to you. Ye sinners, cleanse ye the hands, and ye double in soul, purge ye the hearts.^[a]

⁹ Be ye wretches, and wail ye [and weep ye]; your laughing be [it] turned into weeping, and [your] joy into sorrow of heart.

¹⁰ Be ye meeked in the sight of the Lord, and he shall enhance you.

¹¹ My brethren, do not ye backbite each other. He that backbiteth his brother, either that deemeth his brother [or that deemeth his brother], backbiteth the law, and deemeth the law. And if thou deemest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a doomsman.

¹² But one is maker of the law, and judge, that may destroy, and deliver [that may lose, and deliver]. And who art thou, that deemest thy neighbour?

¹³ Lo! now ye, that say, To day either to morrow [To day or to morrow] we shall go into that city, and there we shall dwell a year, and we shall make merchandise, and we shall make winning;

¹⁴ which know not [that know not], what is to you in the morrow. For what is your life? A smoke [A vapour, or smoke,] appearing at a little time, and afterward it shall be wasted.

¹⁵ Therefore that ye say, If the Lord will, and if we [shall] live, we shall do this thing, either that thing [or that thing].

¹⁶ And now ye make full out joy in your prides; every such joying is wicked.

¹⁷ Therefore it is sin to him, that knoweth to do good, and doeth not. [Therefore to a man knowing to do good, and not doing, sin is to him.]