James 3:13–4:6

Wisdom from Above

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? ^mBy his good conduct let him show his works ⁿin the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter ^ojealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵This is not ^pthe wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, ^qdemonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷But ^rthe wisdom from above is first pure, then ^speaceable, gentle, open to reason, ^tfull of mercy and good fruits, ^uimpartial and ^vsincere. ¹⁸And ^wa harvest of righteousness ^xis sown in peace by those who make peace.

Warning Against Worldliness

4What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions¹ are ^yat war within you?^{2 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. ³You ask and do not receive, because you ask ^zwrongly, to spend it on your passions. ^4aYou adulterous people!³ Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^bTherefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit ^cthat he has made to dwell in us”? ⁶But ^dhe gives more grace. Therefore it says, ^e“God opposes the proud but ^dgives grace to the humble.”