Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

James 4:16

Yet you are stupid enough to brag, and it is wrong to be so proud.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Boasting;   Covetousness;   Presumption;   Thompson Chain Reference - Boasting;   Humility-Pride;   The Topic Concordance - Boasting;   Evil;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Anxiety;   Boasting;   Time;   Work;   World;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordinances of the Gospel;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - James, the General Epistle of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - James, the Letter;   Pride;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Judas;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boasting;   Humility ;   Pride;   Wicked (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Glory;   James, Epistle of;   Vainglory;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for December 6;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
King James Version (1611)
But now yee reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.
King James Version
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
English Standard Version
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
New American Standard Bible
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
New Century Version
But now you are proud and you brag. All of this bragging is wrong.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
Berean Standard Bible
As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.
Complete Jewish Bible
But as it is, in your arrogance you boast. All such boasting is evil.
Darby Translation
But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
Easy-to-Read Version
But now you are proud and boast about yourself. All such boasting is wrong.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But nowe ye reioyce in your boastings: all such reioycing is euill.
George Lamsa Translation
But now they are proud in their boasting: all such pride is evil.
Good News Translation
But now you are proud, and you boast; all such boasting is wrong.
Lexham English Bible
But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Literal Translation
but now you boast in your presumptions. All such boasting is evil.
Amplified Bible
But as it is, you boast [vainly] in your pretension and arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
American Standard Version
But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
Bible in Basic English
But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil.
Hebrew Names Version
But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.
International Standard Version
But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.1 Corinthians 5:6;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
They glory in their pride. All glorying such as this is from the Evil.
Murdock Translation
They glory in their vaunting. All such glorying is evil.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But now ye reioyce in your boastinges: All such reioycyng is euyll.
English Revised Version
But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
World English Bible
But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But now ye glory in your boastings: all such glorying is evil.
Weymouth's New Testament
But, as the case stands, it is in mere self-confidence that you boast: all such boasting is evil.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And now ye maken ful out ioye in youre pridis; euery siche ioye is wickyd.
Update Bible Version
But now you glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.
Webster's Bible Translation
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
New English Translation
But as it is, you boast about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.
New King James Version
But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
New Living Translation
Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
New Life Bible
But instead you are proud. You talk loud and big about yourselves. All such pride is sin.
New Revised Standard
As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Whereas, now, are ye boasting in your pretensions: - All boasting like this, is, wicked,
Douay-Rheims Bible
But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.
Revised Standard Version
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But nowe ye reioyce in youre bostinges. All soche reioysynge is evyll.
Young's Literal Translation
and now ye glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But nowe ye reioyce in youre bostinges. All soche reioysynge is euell.
Mace New Testament (1729)
you triumph in your vain projects, but your presumption is vicious.
THE MESSAGE
As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.
Simplified Cowboy Version
But no, you've got everything figured out and you're expecting God just to go along with whatever you want to do. There ain't nothin' right about doing things that way.

Contextual Overview

11 My friends, don't say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God's Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it 12 or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone? 13 You should know better than to say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!" 14 What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. 15 You should say, "If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things." 16 Yet you are stupid enough to brag, and it is wrong to be so proud. 17 If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

James 3:14, Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:7, Proverbs 25:14, Proverbs 27:1, Isaiah 47:7, Isaiah 47:8, Isaiah 47:10, 1 Corinthians 4:7, 1 Corinthians 4:8, 1 Corinthians 5:6, Revelation 18:7

Reciprocal: Judges 9:19 - rejoice 1 Samuel 11:15 - rejoiced greatly Job 20:5 - the joy Psalms 10:3 - boasteth Jeremiah 11:15 - thou doest evil Hosea 9:1 - Rejoice Amos 6:13 - which Acts 8:39 - and he Romans 1:30 - boasters Romans 2:23 - that makest Galatians 5:26 - desirous Philippians 3:19 - whose glory 2 Timothy 3:2 - boasters

Cross-References

Genesis 3:8
Late in the afternoon a breeze began to blow, and the man and woman heard the Lord God walking in the garden. They were frightened and hid behind some trees.
Genesis 4:14
"You're making me leave my home and live far from you. I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me."
Exodus 20:18
The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off
2 Kings 13:23
But the Lord was kind to the Israelites and showed them mercy because of his solemn agreement with their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In fact, he has never turned his back on them or let them be completely destroyed.
2 Kings 24:20
It was Zedekiah who finally rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. The people of Judah and Jerusalem had made the Lord so angry that he finally turned his back on them. That's why these horrible things were happening.
Job 1:12
The Lord replied, "All right, Satan, do what you want with anything that belongs to him, but don't harm Job." Then Satan left.
Job 2:7
Satan left and caused painful sores to break out all over Job's body—from head to toe.
Job 20:17
and never enjoy rivers flowing with milk and honey.
Psalms 5:11
Let all who run to you for protection always sing joyful songs. Provide shelter for those who truly love you and let them rejoice.
Psalms 68:2
Scatter them like smoke! When you come near, make them melt like wax in a fire.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But now ye rejoice in your boastings,.... Of tomorrow, and of the continuance of life, and of going to such a place, and abiding there for such a time, and of trading and trafficking with great success, to the obtaining of much gain and riches; see

Proverbs 27:1

all such rejoicing is evil; wicked and atheistical, as expressing a neglect of and independence on Providence; arrogating and ascribing too much to themselves, their power and will, as if they had their lives and fortunes in their own hands, and at their own dispose, when all depend upon the will of God. The Syriac version renders it, "all such rejoicing is from evil"; from an evil heart, and from the evil one, Satan.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But now ye rejoice in your boastings - That is, probably, in your boastings of what you can do; your reliance on your own skill and sagacity. You form your plans for the future as if with consummate wisdom, and are confident of success. You do not anticipate a failure; you do not see how plans so skilfully formed can fail. You form them as if you were certain that you would live; as if secure from the numberless casualties which may defeat your schemes.

All such rejoicing is evil - It is founded on a wrong view of yourselves and of what may occur. It shows a spirit forgetful of our dependence on God; forgetful of the uncertainty of life; forgetful of the many ways by which the best-laid plans may be defeated. We should never boast of any wisdom or skill in regard to the future. A day, an hour may defeat our best-concerted plans, and show us that we have not the slightest power to control coming events.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. But now ye rejoice in your boastings — Ye glory in your proud and self-sufficient conduct, exulting that ye are free from the trammels of superstition, and that ye can live independently of God Almighty. All such boasting is wicked, πονηραεστιν, is impious. In an old English work, entitled, The godly man's picture drawn by a Scripture pencil, there are these words: "Some of those who despise religion say, Thank God we are not of this holy number! They who thank God for their unholiness had best go ring the bells for joy that they shall never see God."


 
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