James 4:4

4 You adulterous people,[a] 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.

James 4:4 in Other Translations

KJV
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
ESV
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
NLT
4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
MSG
4 You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way.
CSB
4 Adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy.

James 4:4 In-Context

2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.
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 he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ?
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

Cross References 4

  • 1. Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Hosea 2:2-5; Hosea 3:1; Hosea 9:1
  • 2. S James 1:27
  • 3. Romans 8:7; 1 John 2:15
  • 4. John 15:19

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
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