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Da World

So den, how come you guys everytime like make argue an fight wit each odda? You know why? Cuz inside you, you like go all out fo get someting, an same time, you like get one nodda ting. Az why one part everytime fighting one nodda part. Wen you guys like someting, an you no can get um, you guys even like go kill peopo. Cuz you like get um so bad, but still yet you no can. You guys everytime like make argue an fight! You no can get notting, cuz you not aksing God fo um, az why! Yeah, you aks fo um, but still yet you no get um, cuz inside yoa heart no stay right. Da kine stuff you aksing fo, ony fo make yoa own self feel good, az why.

You guys, jalike you go fool aroun behind Godʼs back! An you guys ack jalike you neva know dis: Whoeva love da bad kine stuff inside da world, fo real, dat guy stay agains God! So, whoeva come friends wit all da bad kine stuff inside da world, dat guy show dat he stay agains God fo shua! You tink da Bible say dis fo notting? “God wen put one spirit inside all us guys, an he no like if dat spirit no stay all out fo him ony.” But God like do even mo plenny good tings still yet. Az why da Bible say,

“God stay agains da guy
    Dat get big head.
But da guy dat put himself last,
    An da odda guy befo him,
God goin do plenny fo dat guy.”

God, he da boss. So den, give yoaself to him. Same time, you gotta stand up agains da Devil, an no do wat he like. Den he goin run away from you. So, come close to God, an he goin come close to you. Eh, you guys dat stay do da bad kine stuff -- go clean yoaself up inside! You guys dat stay ack jalike you get two brains, you gotta make yoaself all clean fo God! Dat mean, you guys gotta come real sorry, an suffa inside, an cry hard. Stop laughing, an start crying. No feel good inside, but come real sore inside long time. 10 No make like you mo betta den da odda guys in front da Boss. Den, he goin make you come somebody fo real kine.

No Talk Stink Bout Yoa Brudda an Sista Guys

11 My bruddas an sistas, no talk stink bout each odda. If one guy talk stink bout one brudda, an make himself jalike one judge fo his brudda, dass mean same time he stay tell dat da Rules from God no stay good, cuz dey say he no can judge his brudda. He tink he da judge so he can say dat da Rules no good. If you say da Rules no good, den you no goin do wat da Rules say. You ack jalike you know how fo make one mo betta Rule den God make, but you donno how. 12 Ony get da One God dat make da Rules, an he da ony Judge! He da same One dat can take care you o can kill you, you know. So! Who you tink you, fo say da odda guy no good?

No Talk Big!

13 Wassa matta you guys! You talk big lidis: “We go dis place today, o tomorrow we go da odda place. We goin stay ova dea one year, an buy an sell tings, an make plenny money.”

14 Eh, you guys! You guys donno wat goin happen tomorrow, o how yoa life goin be! You jalike da morning kine cloud dat come way down. You spock um one short time ony, an den, dey go way. 15 Mo betta say, “If az wat da Boss like, we goin stay alive, an do dis ting an dat ting.”

16 You guys, ony like talk big! Az bad, fo talk big lidat, you know! 17 Da guy dat know how fo do good tings, but still yet he no do um, same ting, jalike he still do bad kine tings.

Submit Yourselves to God

What causes fights and quarrels(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle(B) within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill.(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,(D) because you ask with wrong motives,(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous(F) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(G) means enmity against God?(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(I) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(J) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[c](K)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(L) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(M) Wash your hands,(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(O) you double-minded.(P) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(Q) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(R)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them(T) speaks against the law(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(V) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(Y)

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen,(Z) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(AA) 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.(AB) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(AC) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(AD) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
  3. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
  4. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.