James 4:13–17

4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town17 and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” 4:14 You18 do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?19 For you are a puff of smoke20 that appears for a short time and then vanishes. 4:15 You ought to say instead,21 “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” 4:16 But as it is,22 you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 4:17 So whoever knows what is good to do23 and does not do it is guilty of sin.24

17	tn Or “city.”
18	tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
19	tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”
20	tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).
21	tn Grk “instead of your saying.”
22	tn Grk “but now.”
23	tn Or “knows how to do what is good.”
24	tn Grk “to him it is sin.”