James 4:1-17 From what situation (place; source) arise battles (or: wars; situations of combat) and fights (quarrels; strife; controversies) among you folks? Are they not from this source (or: place): from out of your sensual pleasures (enjoyments and gratifications) which are themselves continually performing as soldiers within your members?

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ From what situation (place; source) [arise] battles (or: wars; situations of combat) and fights (quarrels; strife; controversies) among you folks? Are they not from this source (or: place): from out of your sensual pleasures (enjoyments and gratifications) [which are] themselves continually performing as soldiers within your members? ² You folks are continuously strongly desiring to possess, and yet continuously you do not have; you continue murdering and are repeatedly jealous (boil with rivalry), and so you are perpetually unable to hit the mark (to attain or master [something]). You are habitually quarreling and fighting. (or: You people constantly have full longing, desire and lust – and still you are not presently holding or possessing – and so you repeatedly murder. You are progressively envious, boiling with rivalry, and yet continue having no power to obtain [your goal], so you are constantly striving and having controversies – even doing combat and waging wars!) You continue not having [your desires] because you yourself do not continue asking (or: you are not normally asking for yourselves). ³ You continue asking (requesting), and yet are not receiving because you are asking inappropriately (worthlessly requesting; or: = asking for a wrong purpose) to the intent that you may spend (= waste) it in (or: on) your pleasures. ⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses (= Folks unfaithful to Christ or God as your husband)! Have you not seen, and are you not aware, that the System's friendship (the affection whose source is this world of religion, secular culture, economy and government) is a source of enmity with God (or: hostility and active hatred with regard to God; [Aleph reads: exists being alienation to God])? Whoever, then, may have been made to want (to intend; to purpose) to be the System's (or: world's) friend is continuing to be established (habitually set down; progressively rendered or constituted) [as] God's alienated and hostile person. ⁵ Or are you supposing that the Scripture is speaking void of effect (emptily; vainly)? The breath-effect (or: spirit) which housed-down in us normally sets its desire (longing; affection; yearning) upon [something], [with a view] toward ill-will, malice, envy and jealousy! (or: The Spirit – which He causes to dwell in union with us – is constantly longing and progressively yearning [for us]: to the point of bubbling up zeal and enthusiasm. or: Is the spirit and attitude which lives within us periodically longing toward envy?) ⁶ Yet He is constantly and progressively giving greater (= more abundant; more intense; larger; more frequent) grace and favor, therefore it is saying "God continuously sets Himself in opposition to, and aligns Himself against, those that show themselves above (the proud; the assuming), but He habitually gives grace and favor to the low ones (the unassuming ones; the humble ones; those of low rank)." [Prov. 3:34] ⁷ Consequently, you must be subjected by (or: be at once placed and arranged under in; be humbly aligned with and to) God. So stand in opposition to the [or: your] adversary (or: take a stand [as in battle] against the one trying to thrust you through [with a weapon]), and he will progressively flee (take flight) away from you! ⁸ Draw near in God (or: Approach by God; Be close at hand for God; Be or stay near to God), and He will progressively draw near in you (or: continue being or staying near to you; habitually be close at hand for you)! You failing folks (ones missing the target; sinners), cleanse [your] hands (= your actions)! You two-souled folks (or: double-minded ones; people with split affections and loyalties), purify (make of one substance) [your] hearts! ⁹ You folks must endure labor and hardships, and be miserable and wretched; you must mourn, and you must cry; your laughter must be converted into mourning, and joy into dejection with [your] eyes cast down; ¹⁰ you folks must consequently be made low (humbled; demoted; brought to a low station), in the Lord's sight (= in [Yahweh's, or Christ's] presence), and then He will progressively lift you up (or: continue elevating you). ¹¹ Brothers (= believers in God’s household) do not be continuously (or: stop constantly) speaking down (or: gossiping or babbling; wearing someone down by talking; talking a person down) against one another. The one habitually speaking down against a brother (= a fellow believer, or, a fellow Israelite; or: = a member of God’s household), and continuously judging (separating and making decisions about) his brother, is continuously speaking down against law, and thus keeps on judging (making separations and then decisions about) law. Now if you continue judging law, you are not being a performer (a doer) of law, but rather, a judge (one who makes separations and decisions). ¹² There is one Lawgiver and Separator (Decider; Evaluator; Judge): the One being continuously able and powerful to deliver (rescue; heal; save; restore to wholeness), as well as to cause loss (or: bring a condition of utter ruin; or: cause [something or someone] to be lost; or: destroy). So you, who are you, the one continuously judging the one near you (repeatedly separating the neighbor; or: presently making decisions about [your] associate)? ¹³ Come now, those continuously saying, "Today or tomorrow we will proceed traveling into this or that city and produce (make; perform; do [something]) one year there, and then we can trade (or: conduct business) and make a profit, " ¹⁴ – namely, those who are not in the habit of putting their attention upon the thing of tomorrow (or: who are not normally versed in or acquainted with the morrow; or: are not now standing upon tomorrow). Of what sort [is] your life? You see, you folks are (or: exist being) a vapor (a mist), progressively (or: repeatedly) appearing for a little while (toward a little space), and thereupon continually (or: repeatedly) being made to disappear – ¹⁵ Instead of that, you should be saying, "If the Lord [= Yahweh, or, Christ] should will (or: intend), we also will continue living and will proceed doing (or: producing) this or that." ¹⁶ Yet now you continue speaking loudly (boasting; gloating) in your empty, bragging speech and displays. All such boasting is bad (harmful; painfully laborious; miserable). ¹⁷ So for one (or: in a man; to a person) having seen and thus knowing to be continually performing [the] beautiful (doing [the] ideal; making [the] good; producing [the] excellent), and then not habitually performing (doing) [it], in him it is a failure (for him it is error; to him it is sin; by him it is a missing of the target and a deviation from the goal).