James 3–4

Taming the Tongue

3Not many of you should become teachers,^e my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged^f more strictly.^{g 2}We all stumble^h in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they sayⁱ is perfect,^j able to keep their whole body in check.^k

³When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.^{l 4}Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. ⁵Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.^m Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶The tongue also is a fire,ⁿ a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,^o sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.^p

⁷All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^q

⁹With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.^{r 10}Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. ¹¹Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? ¹²My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?^s Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it^t by their good life, by deeds^u done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition^v in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.^{w 15}Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven^x but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^{y 16}For where you have envy and selfish ambition,^z there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷But the wisdom that comes from heaven^a is first of all pure; then peace-loving,^b considerate, submissive, full of mercy^c and good fruit, impartial and sincere.^{d 18}Peacemakers^e who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.^f

Submit Yourselves to God

4What causes fights and quarrels^g among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle^h within you? ²You desire but do not have, so you kill.ⁱ You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³When you ask, you do not receive,^j because you ask with wrong motives,^k that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁴You adulterous^l people,^a don’t you know that friendship with the world^m means enmity against God?ⁿ Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.^{o 5}Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us^b?^{p 6}But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”^cq

⁷Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,^r and he will flee from you. ⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you.^s Wash your hands,^t you sinners, and purify your hearts,^u you double-minded.^{v 9}Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.^{w 10}Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.^x

¹¹Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.^y Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister^d or judges them^z speaks against the law^a and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,^b but sitting in judgment on it. ¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,^c the one who is able to save and destroy.^d But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?^e

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³Now listen,^f you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”^{g 14}Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.^{h 15}Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,ⁱ we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.^{j 17}If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.^k