James 4:2

Read it in 5 translations

KJV King James 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.

BSB Berean Standard Bible

You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

WEB World English Bible

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.

ASV American Standard Version

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

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

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;

Surrounding context — James 4

1 From whence [come] wars and fightings among you? [come they] not hence, [even] of your lusts that war in your members?

2 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.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.

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.

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

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Cross-references

John 16:24Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.Matthew 7:7-8Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:James 1:5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.Luke 11:9-13And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.John 4:10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.1 Timothy 6:9-10But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.Proverbs 1:19So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [which] taketh away the life of the owners thereof.James 5:1-5Go to now, [ye] rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon [you].Habakkuk 2:5Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, [he is] a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and [is] as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:Isaiah 7:12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.Ecclesiastes 4:8There is one [alone], and [there is] not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet [is there] no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither [saith he], For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This [is] also vanity, yea, it [is] a sore travail.

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CLASSIC COMMENTARY & PREACHING

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