YAC 4:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) and when you all do ask, it doesn’t get answered because you ask with wrong motives—trying get what you want to spend on your own wants.

Key: khaki:verbs, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT You ask and you do not receive, because you ask badly, so that you may spend on your lusts.

UST But even when you do ask God for things, he does not give them to you, because you are asking with bad motives. You are asking for things just so that you can use them to enjoy yourselves in wrong ways.

BLB You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it in your pleasures.

AICNT You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your pleasures.

OEB You ask, yet do not receive, because you ask for a wrong purpose – to spend what you get on your pleasures.

WEBBE You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

LSV you ask, and you do not receive, because you ask badly, that you may spend [it] in your pleasures.

FBV You pray, but don't receive anything, because you ask with a wrong motive, wanting to spend what you'd receive on your selfish pleasures.

TCNT You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

T4T And even when you do ask him, he does not give you what you ask for because you are asking for the wrong reason. You are asking for things in order that you may use them just to ◄enjoy yourselves/make yourselves happy►.

LEB You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, in order that you may spend it on your pleasures.

BBE You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure.

Moff you do ask and you do not get it, because you ask with the wicked intention of spending it on your pleasures.

Wymth or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.

ASV Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.

DRA You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.

YLT ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend [it].

Drby Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.

RV Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.
(Ye/You_all ask, and receive not, because ye/you_all ask amiss, that ye/you_all may spend it in your pleasures. )

SLT Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask wickedly that ye might expend upon your sensual pleasures.

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

KJB-1769 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
(Ye/You_all ask, and receive not, because ye/you_all ask amiss, that ye/you_all may consume it upon your lusts. )

KJB-1611 Ye aske and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that yee may consume it vpon your [fn]lusts.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

4:3 Or, pleasures.

Bshps Ye aske and receaue not, because ye aske amisse, euen to consume it vpon your lustes.
(Ye/You_all ask and receive not, because ye/you_all ask amiss, even to consume it upon your lusts.)

Gnva Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures.
(Ye/You_all aske, and receive not, because ye/you_all ask amiss, that ye/you_all might lay the same out on your pleasures. )

Cvdl Ye axe & receaue not because ye axe amysse: eue to cosume it vpo yor voluptuousnes.
(Ye/You_all axe and receive not because ye/you_all axe amiss: eve/even to consume it upon your voluptuousnes.)

TNT Ye axe and receave not because ye axe a mysse: even to consume it apon youre volupteousnes.
(Ye/You_all axe and receive not because ye/you_all axe a mysse: even to consume it upon your(pl) volupteousnes. )

Wycl Ye axen, and ye resseyuen not; for that ye axen yuele, as ye schewen opynli in youre coueitisis.
(Ye/You_all axen, and ye/you_all receiven not; for that ye/you_all axen evil, as ye/you_all schewen openly in your(pl) coueitisis.)

Luth Ihr bittet und krieget nicht, darum daß ihr übel bittet, nämlich dahin, daß ihr‘s mit euren Wollüsten verzehret.
(You(pl) requests and battle(v) not, therefore that you(pl)/their/her bad/evil requests, namely gone, that hers with your(s)(pl) Wollüsten consumed.)

ClVg Petitis, et non accipitis: eo quod male petatis: ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.
(Petitis, and not/no you_accept: by_him that male petatis: as in/into/on concupiscentiis yours insumatis. )

UGNT αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε.
(aiteite kai ou lambanete, dioti kakōs aiteisthe, hina en tais haʸdonais humōn dapanaʸsaʸte.)

SBL-GNT αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε.
(aiteite kai ou lambanete, dioti kakōs aiteisthe, hina en tais haʸdonais humōn dapanaʸsaʸte.)

RP-GNT αἰτεῖτε, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε.
(aiteite, kai ou lambanete, dioti kakōs aiteisthe, hina en tais haʸdonais humōn dapanaʸsaʸte.)

TC-GNT αἰτεῖτε, καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε.
(aiteite, kai ou lambanete, dioti kakōs aiteisthe, hina en tais haʸdonais humōn dapanaʸsaʸte. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–12: Believers must submit to God, not to their own selfish desires

In this section, James wrote about the problem of Christians quarreling among themselves. He identified the root of the problem as our human selfish desires. Then he pointed out that the solution is to humble ourselves and submit to God.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Warning against being God’s enemy (UBS)

Submit Yourselves to God (NIV)

Paragraph 4:1–3

In this paragraph, James discussed why Christian people quarrel with each other. He introduced this topic by means of a rhetorical question (4:1a). He then responded to his question, using another rhetorical question (4:1b). Christians quarrel because they selfishly desire things. In 4:2–3 he explained the answer in more detail.

4:3a

And when you do ask,

When you^(plur) ask God for something,
When you pray for things, (GW)

4:3b

you do not receive,

you^(plur) do not receive it from God,
you don’t get them (GW)

4:3a–b

And when you do ask, you do not receive: The clause And when you do ask, you do not receive refers to prayer. James’ readers were praying to God for certain things, but God was not answering their prayers.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

And even when you ask, you don’t get it (NLT)

When you pray for things, you don’t get them (GW)

Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered (CEV)

4:3c

because you ask with wrong motives,

because you^(plur) are asking for the wrong reasons.
because the reason why you^(plur) pray, it is not right.

because: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as because introduces the reason that people do not get what they pray for.

you ask with wrong motives: The clause you ask with wrong motives is more literally “you ask wrongly” (as in the RSV). This indicates that James’ readers were asking for things from God for the wrong reasons. They were asking for things for selfish reasons rather than for God’s glory.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the reason you ask is wrong (NCV)

the reason why you^(plur) ask is not right

you pray just for selfish reasons (CEV)

4:3d

that you may squander it on your pleasures.

You^(plur) want to use these things only for your own evil desires.
You^(plur) pray for things just so that you can satisfy your own passions.

that you may squander it on your pleasures: The clause that you may squander it on your pleasures means that James’ readers intended to use what they prayed for to satisfy their own desires.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures. (NCV)

The reason you ^(plur) ask for it is so that you might fulfill your evil desires.

squander: The Greek word that the BSB translates as squander means “use wastefully.” It does not only refer to spending money, although wasting money is one aspect.

Another way to translate this word is:

use (GNT)

pleasures: The Greek word that the BSB translates as pleasures is the same as the word translated “passions” in 4:1b. This word refers to wrong, selfish desires. It is a desire for personal wealth, glory, and pleasure.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

passions (RSV)

selfish desires

enjoyment

satisfy your heart

General Comment on 4:3a–d

In some languages, it is more natural to put the reason (in 4:3c–d) before the result (in 4:3a–b). For example:

^3cYou ask with wrong motives ^3dthat you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ^3bTherefore, you do not receive ^3awhat you ask for.

General Comment on 4:3b–d

In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 4:3b–d. For example:

^3byou do not receive, ^3cbecause you ask for things ^3dso that you can spend/use what you get on your pleasures. ^3cThat is the wrong reason for praying!

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε

˱you˲_˓are˒_requesting (Some words not found in SR-GNT: αἰτεῖτε καί οὒ λαμβάνετε διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε)

James is using the word translated and to introduce a contrast between these two clauses. Alternate translation: [You ask but you do not receive]

κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε

wrongly ˱you_all˲_˓are˒_requesting

James does not mean that his readers are asking for things in the wrong way. He means that they are asking for the wrong reason. Alternate translation: [you are asking for the wrong reason]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε

in_order_that in the gratifications ˱of˲_you_all ˱you_all˲_˓may˒_spend_‹it›

James says that his readers would spend what they acquired on their lusts. Alternate translation: [so that you could gratify your sinful desires]

Parallel YAC 4:3

Section 4:1–12: Believers must submit to God, not to their own selfish desires

Paragraph 4:1–3

4:3a

4:3b

4:3a–b

4:3c

4:3d

General Comment on 4:3a–d

General Comment on 4:3b–d