James 4:9

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

King James Version (1611)
Bee afflicted, and mourne, and weepe: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your ioy to heauinesse.

King James Version
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

English Standard Version
Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

New American Standard Bible
Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom.

New Century Version
Be sad, cry, and weep! Change your laughter into crying and your joy into sadness.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

Berean Standard Bible
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Contemporary English Version
Be sad and sorry and weep. Stop laughing and start crying. Be gloomy instead of glad.

Complete Jewish Bible
Wail, mourn, sob! Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom!

Darby Translation
Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

Easy-to-Read Version
Be sad, be sorry, and cry! Change your laughter into crying. Change your joy into sadness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.

George Lamsa Translation
Humble yourselves, and mourn; let your laughter be turned to weeping, and your joy to sorrow.

Good News Translation
Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom!

Lexham English Bible
Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloominess.

Literal Translation
Be distressed, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy into shame.

Amplified Bible
Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.

American Standard Version
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Bible in Basic English
Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.

Hebrew Names Version
Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

International Standard Version
Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom.Matthew 5:4;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Be humbled and sorrowful, and let your laughter be turned into grief, and your gladness into anxiety.

Murdock Translation
Humble yourselves, and mourn: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into grief.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Suffer afflictions, and mourne, and weepe: Let your laughter be turned to mournyng, and your ioy to heauinesse.

English Revised Version
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

World English Bible
Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness.

Weymouth's New Testament
Afflict yourselves and mourn and weep aloud; let your laughter be turned into grief, and your gladness into shame.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be ye wretchis, and weile ye; youre leiyyng be turned in to weping, and ioye in to sorewe of herte.

Update Bible Version
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Webster's Bible Translation
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

New English Translation
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair.

New King James Version
Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

New Living Translation
Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.

New Life Bible
Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow.

New Revised Standard
Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be miserable and lament and weep, let, your laughter, into lamentation, be turned, and, your joy, into dejection;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Be afflicted and mourn and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into sorrow.

Revised Standard Version
Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Suffre affliccios: sorowe ye and wepe. Let youre laughter be turned to mornynge and youre ioye to hevynes.

Young's Literal Translation
be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter to mourning be turned, and the joy to heaviness;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Suffre affliccions: sorowe ye and wepe. Let youre laughter be turned to mornynge, and youre ioye to heuynes.

Mace New Testament (1729)
be afflicted, be mournful, and weep: let your mirth be converted to sadness, and your joy to vexation.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The way you've been living should break your heart. Them old ways you used to love ought to bring you pain.

Contextual Overview

¹Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. 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. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others? And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that." 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. ³Get Serious Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. ⁴You'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. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." ⁷So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

afflicted: James 5:1, James 5:2, Psalms 119:67, Psalms 119:71, Psalms 119:136, Psalms 126:5, Psalms 126:6, Ecclesiastes 7:2-5, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:13, Jeremiah 31:9, Jeremiah 31:13, Jeremiah 31:18-20, Ezekiel 7:16, Ezekiel 16:63, Zechariah 12:10-14, Matthew 5:4, Luke 6:21, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Corinthians 7:11

let: Job 30:31, Proverbs 14:13, Ecclesiastes 2:2, Ecclesiastes 7:6, Lamentations 5:15, Luke 6:25, Luke 16:25, Revelation 18:7, Revelation 18:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 23:27 - afflict Judges 2:4 - the people 2 Samuel 12:22 - I fasted 2 Chronicles 7:14 - humble Esther 5:9 - joyful Job 20:18 - and he shall Proverbs 19:10 - Delight Ecclesiastes 3:4 - time to weep Jeremiah 6:26 - make thee Jeremiah 50:4 - going Daniel 10:2 - I Daniel Joel 1:8 - Lament Joel 2:12 - with fasting Malachi 3:14 - and that Matthew 5:3 - the poor Luke 7:38 - weeping 2 Corinthians 7:7 - mourning 1 Peter 1:6 - ye are

Cross-References

Genesis 4:9
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"

Genesis 4:13
Cain said to God , "My punishment is too much. I can't take it! You've thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I'm a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me."

Proverbs 28:13
You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep,.... Not in a bare external way; not by afflicting the body with fastings and scourgings, by renting of garments, and clothing with sackcloth, and putting ashes on the head, and other such outward methods of humiliation; but afflicting the soul is meant, an inward mourning and weeping over the plague of the heart, the impurity of nature, and the various sins of life; after a godly sort, and because contrary to a God of infinite love and grace; in an evangelical way, looking to Jesus, and being affected with the pardoning grace and love of God in Christ.

Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness; meaning their carnal joy, on account of their friendship with the world, and their enjoyment of the things of it, since they consumed them on their lusts, and which betrayed enmity to God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep - That is, evidently, on account of your sins. The sins to which the apostle refers are those which he had specified in the previous part of the chapter, and which he had spoken of as so evil in their nature, and so dangerous in their tendency. The word rendered “be afflicted” means, properly, to endure toil or hardship; then to endure affliction or distress; and here means, that they were to afflict themselves - that is, they were to feel distressed and sad on account of their transgressions. Compare Ezra 8:21. The other words in this clause are those which are expressive of deep grief or sorrow. The language here used shows that the apostle supposed that it was possible that those who had done wrong should voluntarily feel sorrow for it, and that, therefore, it was proper to call upon them to do it.

(All who feel true sorrow for sin, do so voluntarily; but it is not intended by this assertion to insinuate that repentance is not the work of the Spirit. He operates on men without destroying their freedom, or doing violence to their will: “in the day of his power they are willing.” Nor is it improper to call on men to do that for which they require the Spirit’s aid. That aid is not withheld in the hour of need; and everywhere the Bible commands sinners to believe and repent.)

Let your laughter be turned to mourning - It would seem that the persons referred to, instead of suitable sorrow and humiliation on account of sin, gave themselves to joyousness, mirth, and revelry. See a similar instance in Isaiah 22:12-13. It is often the case, that those for whom the deep sorrows of repentance would be peculiarly appropriate, give themselves to mirth and vanity. The apostle here says that such mirth did not become them. Sorrow, deep and unfeigned, was appropriate on account of their sins, and the sound of laughter and of revelry should be changed to notes of lamentation. To how many of the assemblies of the vain, the gay, and the dissipated, might the exhortation in this passage with propriety be now addressed!

Your joy to heaviness - The word here rendered heaviness occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means dejection, sorrow. It is not gloom, melancholy, or moroseness, but it is sorrow on account of sin. God has so made us that we should feel sorrow when we are conscious that we have done wrong, and it is appropriate that we should do so.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 9. Be afflicted, and mourn — Without true and deep repentance ye cannot expect the mercy of God.

Let your laughter be turned to mourning — It appears most evidently that many of those to whom St. James addressed this epistle had lived a very irregular and dissolute life. He had already spoken of their lust, and pleasures, and he had called them adulterers and adulteresses; and perhaps they were so in the grossest sense of the words. He speaks here of their laughter and their joy; and all the terms taken together show that a dissolute life is intended. What a strange view must he have of the nature of primitive Christianity, who can suppose that these words can possibly have been addressed to people professing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who were few in number, without wealth or consequence, and were persecuted and oppressed both by their brethren the Jews and by the Romans!