James 4:2

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.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 nothing in my name: ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be complete.
  • Jas 1:5 : 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; 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 he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it will be opened.
  • Luke 11:9-9 : 9 And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened. 11 If a son asks bread from any of you who is a father, will you give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish, will you give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will you offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father 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 and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have strayed from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
  • Jas 5:1-5 : 1 Come now, you rich men, weep and wail for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded; and their corrosion shall be a witness against you, and shall consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure for the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who have reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been indulgent; you have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
  • John 4:10 : 10 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.
  • Prov 1:19 : 19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.
  • Eccl 4:8 : 8 There is one alone, without a second; yes, he has neither child nor brother, yet there is no end to all his labor, nor is his eye satisfied with riches, nor does he ask, 'For whom do I labor and deprive my soul of good?' This is also vanity, yes, it is a grievous toil.
  • Isa 7:12 : 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I test the LORD.
  • Hab 2:5 : 5 Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, he is a proud man, neither stays at home, who enlarges his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all people:

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 You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it on your desires.

    4 You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

    5 Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us yearns jealously?

  • 1 From where do wars and fights among you come? Do they not come from your desires that war within your members?

  • Gal 5:16-17
    2 verses
    71%

    16 I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

    17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do the things that you wish.

  • Jas 1:14-15
    2 verses
    71%

    14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed.

    15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin: and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

  • Jas 3:14-16
    3 verses
    69%

    14 But if you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

    15 This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

    16 For where envy and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work.

  • Jas 5:5-6
    2 verses
    69%

    5 You have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been indulgent; you have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

    6 You have condemned and killed the righteous; and he does not resist you.

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

  • 5 Not in passionate lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God:

  • Jas 1:4-5
    2 verses
    68%

    4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

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

  • 7 For let not that man think that he will receive anything from the Lord.

  • 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed, striving against sin.

  • 3 For you are still carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?

  • Jas 4:13-16
    4 verses
    67%

    13 Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;

    14 Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

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

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

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

  • 12 That you may walk honestly toward those who are outside, and that you may have lack of nothing.

  • 1 Cor 6:7-8
    2 verses
    66%

    7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because you go to law one with another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather allow yourselves to be defrauded?

    8 No, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.

  • 7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And unto you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him.

  • 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not kill. Now if you do not commit adultery, yet if you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.

  • 4 are you not then partial among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

  • 8 Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you need before you ask Him.

  • 9 And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

  • 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.

  • 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

  • 5 Therefore, put to death your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

  • 8 Now you are full, now you are rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed, I wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you!

  • 65%

    29 And do not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor be of anxious mind.

    30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you need these things.

    31 But rather seek the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you.

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

  • 4 Wherein they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

  • 25 The desire of the slothful kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

  • 2 And you are arrogant, and have not rather mourned, so that he who has done this deed might be removed from among you.

  • 2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

  • 7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not. Indeed, I would not have known sin except through the law: for I would not have known lust unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'

  • 11 Dearly beloved, I urge you as strangers and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul;

  • 4 Behold, you fast for strife and debate and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice heard on high.

  • 4 The soul of the sluggard desires and has nothing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.