James 4:2

King James Version (KJV)

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.

Translations

James 4:2 - Amplified Bible

You are jealous {and} covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy {and} anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. [I John 3:15.]

James 4:2 - 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.

James 4:2 - Bible in Basic English

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.

James 4:2 - Darby Bible

Ye lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.

James 4:2 - English Standard Version

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

James 4:2 - 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.

James 4:2 - La Biblia de las Americas

Codiciáis y no tenéis, por eso cometéis homicidio. Sois envidiosos y no podéis obtener, por eso combatìs y hacéis guerra. No tenéis, porque no pedìs.

James 4:2 - The Message

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.

James 4:2 - New American Standard Bible

You lust and do not have; {so} you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; {so} you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

James 4:2 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Ustedes codician y no tienen, por eso cometen homicidio. Son envidiosos y no pueden obtener, por eso combaten y hacen guerra. No tienen, porque no piden.

James 4:2 - World English Bible

You lust, and don`t have. You kill, covet, and can`t obtain. You fight and make war. Yet you don`t have, because you don`t ask.

James 4:2 - Young's Living 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;

James 4:2 - Additional Comments

"Lust" means to have a craving, appetite, or great desire for something. You have a great desire for something, and you can't get it. It's something someone else has that you don't. You want it so much you "murder", or hate, the one who has it or you think can provide it to you.
What is the right way to get the desires of your heart? First, abide in God, to purify your desires (vs 4:3, John 15:7), so you ask what is in line with God's law and will.
So, why don't we ask? It's a combination of lack of faith in what we don't see (Heb 11:1, John 20:29), a lack of belief that God will do things for us (John 15:7), a lack of a good relationship with God (mostly because of lack of time with Him - John 15:7), unconfessed or unrepentant sin in your life (1 Peter 3:7), laziness / don't take the time (Prov 13:4), and indifference / don't care (2 Chr 33:10, Neh 9:30, Isa 42:20, Matt 22:4-5). Interesting that we still complain about problems and don't deal with the root of them - a lack of prayer. See also notes on the hindrances to prayer in 1 Peter 3:7.
The movie "Castaway", with Tom Hanks,t was an interesting movie. Hanks was in what seemed to be a hopeless situation, but suddenly things change, and he is rescued.
During a Superbowl, FedEx ran a commercial that spoofed the movie, Castaway, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a deserted island for years. Looking like the bedraggled Hanks in the movie, the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home, package in hand.
When the lady comes to the door, he explains that he survived five years on a deserted island, and during that whole time, he kept this package in order to deliver it to her. She gives a simple, "Thank you."
But he is curious about what is in the package that he has been protecting for years. He says, "If I may ask, what was in that package after all?"
She opens it and shows him the contents, saying, "Oh, nothing really, just a satellite telephone, a global positioning device, a compass, a water purifier, and some seeds."
How close this is to our lives with Christ, where we have these great resources before us, but we don't make use of them, because we never "open the package", i.e. we don't ask. We don't have because we don't ask.

Comments are closed.