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| 4:1 WhatF64
is the source of quarrels and conflictsR130 among you? IsF65
not the source your pleasures that wage warR131 in your members?
4:2 You lust and do not have; {so} you commitR132 murder. You
are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and quarrel. You do not have
because you do not ask. 4:3 You ask and doR133 not receive,
because you ask withF66 wrong motives, so that you may spend
{it} onF67 your pleasures. 4:4 You adulteresses,R134
do you not know that friendship with theR135 world is hostilityR136
toward God? ThereforeR137 whoever wishes to be a friend of the
world makes himself an enemy of God. 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture
speaksR138 to no purpose: "He jealouslyF69 desires
theR139 Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? 4:6 But HeR140
gives a greater grace. Therefore {it} says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD,
BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." 4:7 SubmitR141 therefore to
God. ResistR142 the devil and he will flee from you. 4:8 DrawR143
near to God and He will draw near to you. CleanseR144 your hands,
you sinners; and purifyR145 your hearts, you double-minded.R146
4:9 BeR147 miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be
turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 4:10 HumbleR148
yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
FOOTNOTES: F64: Lit {From where wars and from where fightings} F65: Lit Are they {not from here,} from your F66: Lit {wickedly} F67: Lit {in} F69: Lit {desires to jealousy} CROSS REFERENCES: R130: Matthew 5:9; Hebrews 12:11 R131: Titus 3:2 R132: Luke 6:36; James 2:13 R133: James 2:4 R134: Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 6:6 R135: Proverbs 11:18; Isaiah 32:17; Hosea 10:12; Amos 6:12; Galatians 6:8; Philippians 1:11 R136: Titus 3:9 R137: Romans 7:23 R138: James 5:6; 1 John 3:15 R139: 1 John 3:22; 5:14 R140: Jeremiah 2:2; Ezekiel 16:32 R141: James 1:27 R142: Romans 8:7; 1 John 2:15 R143: Matthew 6:24; John 15:19 R144: Numbers 23:19 R145: 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16 R146: Isaiah 54:7f; Matthew 13:12 R147: Psalms 138:6; Proverbs 3:34; Matthew 23:12; 1 Peter 5:5 R148: 1 Peter 5:6 |
4:1 What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? 4:2 You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4:4 Unfaithful creatures! 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. 4:5 Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us"? 4:6 But he gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. 4:9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection. 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you. | 4:1 What
is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of
evil desires at war within you? 4:2 You want what you don't have, so you
scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you
can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And
yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for
it. 4:3 And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive
is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure. 4:4 You adulterers!
Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of
God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't
be a friend of God. 4:5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they
say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs
for us to be faithfulF12? 4:6 He gives us more and more strength
to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself
against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble."F13 4:7
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from
you. 4:8 Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands,
you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. 4:9 Let there be tears
for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief.
Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 4:10
When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he
will lift you up and give you honor.
FOOTNOTES: F12: Or the spirit that God placed within us tends to envy, or the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, opposes our envy. F13: Prov 3:34. |
4:1 Where
do all the fights and quarrels among you come from? They come from your
desires for pleasure, which are constantly fighting within you. 4:2 You
want things, but you cannot have them, so you are ready to kill; you strongly
desire things, but you cannot get them, so you quarrel and fight. You do
not have what you want because you do not ask God for it. 4:3 And when
you ask, you do not receive it, because your motives are bad; you ask for
things to use for your own pleasures. 4:4 Unfaithful people! Don't you
know that to be the world's friend means to be God's enemy? If you want
to be the world's friend, you make yourself God's enemy. 4:5 Don't think
that there is no truth in the scripture that says, "The spirit that God
placed in us is filled with fierce desires."F2 4:6 But the grace
that God gives is even stronger. As the scripture says, "God resists the
proud, but gives grace to the humble."R16 4:7 So then, submit
yourselves to God. Resist the Devil, and he will run away from you. 4:8
Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners!
Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! 4:9 Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change
your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom! 4:10 Humble yourselves
before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
FOOTNOTES: F2: The spirit . . . fierce desires; [or] God yearns jealously over the spirit that he placed in us. CROSS REFERENCES: R16: 4.6 Pr 3.34 (LXX). |
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