James 4:2

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    You desire and do not have; you kill, and covet, and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you do not have because you do not ask.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    Ye lust,{G1937} and{G2532} have{G2192} not:{G3756} ye kill,{G5407} and{G2532} covet,{G2206} and{G2532} cannot{G1410} {G3756} obtain:{G2013} ye fight{G3164} and{G2532} war;{G4170} {G1161} ye have{G2192} not,{G3756} because{G1223} ye{G5209} ask{G154} not.{G3756}

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    Ye lust{G1937}{(G5719)}, and{G2532} have{G2192}{(G5719)} not{G3756}: ye kill{G5407}{(G5719)}, and{G2532} desire to have{G2206}{(G5719)}, and{G2532} cannot{G3756}{G1410}{(G5736)} obtain{G2013}{(G5629)}: ye fight{G3164}{(G5736)} and{G2532} war{G4170}{(G5719)}, yet{G1161} ye have{G2192}{(G5719)} not{G3756}, because{G1223} ye{G5209} ask{G154}{(G5733)} not{G3361}.

  • Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

    Ye lust and have not. Ye envie and have indignacion and cannot obtayne. Ye fight and warre and have not because ye axe not.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    Ye lust, and haue not. Ye envie and haue indignacion, and can not obtayne. Ye fight & warre, and haue not, because ye axe not.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    Ye lust, and haue not: ye enuie, and desire immoderately, and cannot obtaine: ye fight and warre, and get nothing, because ye aske not.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    Ye lust, and haue not: Ye enuie, and haue indignation, and can not obtayne: Ye fyght and warre, ye haue not, because ye aske not.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    You lust, and don't have. You kill, covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    ye desire, and ye have not; ye murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; ye fight and war, and ye have not, because of your not asking;

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    You lust, and don't have. You kill, covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask.

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;

Referenced Verses

  • John 16:24 : 24 Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.
  • Jas 1:5 : 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without rebuke, and it will be given to him.
  • Matt 7:7-8 : 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.
  • Luke 11:9-9 : 9 So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a piece of bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
  • 1 Tim 6:9-9 : 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
  • Jas 5:1-5 : 1 Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look, the wages that you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
  • John 4:10 : 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
  • Prov 1:19 : 19 Such are the ways of everyone who gains unjust profit; it takes away the life of its owners.
  • Eccl 4:8 : 8 There was a man all alone. He had no son or brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. 'For whom am I toiling,' he asked, 'and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?' This too is meaningless—a miserable business!
  • Isa 7:12 : 12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.'
  • Hab 2:5 : 5 Indeed, because wine betrays, and an arrogant man is restless, enlarging his appetite like Sheol and never satisfied, he gathers all the nations to himself and collects all peoples as his own.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Jas 4:3-5
    3 verses
    90%

    3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

    4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

    5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit God caused to dwell in us longs jealously for us?

  • Jas 4:1
    86%

    1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within your body parts?

  • Gal 5:16-17
    2 verses
    71%

    16 I say then, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.

    17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want to do.

  • Jas 1:14-15
    2 verses
    71%

    14 But each person is tempted when they are drawn away and enticed by their own desire.

    15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

  • Jas 3:14-16
    3 verses
    69%

    14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and deny the truth.

    15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

    16 For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.

  • Jas 5:5-6
    2 verses
    69%

    5 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

    6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, who does not resist you.

  • 1 John 2:16
    68%

    16 For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father, but is from the world.

  • 1 Thess 4:5
    68%

    5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.

  • Jas 1:4-5
    2 verses
    68%

    4 Let perseverance complete its work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

    5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without rebuke, and it will be given to him.

  • Jas 1:7
    67%

    7 Let that person not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

  • Heb 12:4
    67%

    4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

  • 1 Cor 3:3
    67%

    3 For you are still worldly. Since there is jealousy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not worldly and living like mere humans?

  • Jas 4:13-16
    4 verses
    67%

    13 Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.'

    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.

    15 Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.'

    16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

  • Matt 7:7
    66%

    7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

  • 1 Thess 4:12
    66%

    12 so that you may conduct yourselves properly toward outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.

  • 1 Cor 6:7-8
    2 verses
    66%

    7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

    8 Instead, you yourselves wrong and cheat—and you do this to your brothers and sisters.

  • Gen 4:7
    66%

    7 'If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'

  • Jas 2:11
    66%

    11 For He who said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' also said, 'You shall not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

  • John 5:40
    66%

    40 But you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.

  • Jas 2:4
    66%

    4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

  • Matt 6:8
    66%

    8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

  • Luke 11:9
    66%

    9 So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

  • Jas 5:9
    65%

    9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door.

  • 1 Tim 6:9
    65%

    9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

  • Col 3:5
    65%

    5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

  • 1 Cor 4:8
    65%

    8 Already you are full! Already you are rich! You have begun to reign without us—and how I wish that you really had begun to reign, so that we also might reign with you!

  • Luke 12:29-31
    3 verses
    65%

    29 So do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, and do not worry about it.

    30 For all the nations of the world eagerly seek these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

    31 Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

  • Gal 5:26
    65%

    26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

  • 1 Pet 4:4
    65%

    4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.

  • Prov 21:25
    65%

    25 The desire of the lazy person kills them, for their hands refuse to work.

  • 1 Cor 5:2
    64%

    2 And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have mourned so that the one who has done this would be removed from among you?

  • Hos 4:2
    64%

    2 There is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

  • Rom 7:7
    64%

    7 What shall we say then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'

  • 1 Pet 2:11
    64%

    11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires, which wage war against the soul.

  • Isa 58:4
    64%

    4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

  • Prov 13:4
    64%

    4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.