YAC 4:9 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.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 Be miserable and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom.

UST Show sorrow and be sad and weep because of the wrong things that you have done. You have been enjoying yourselves, but you should be serious and realize how much you need to change.

BLB Be grieved and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and the joy to gloom.

AICNT Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

OEB Grieve, mourn, and lament! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your happiness to gloom!

WEBBE Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair.

LSV Be exceedingly afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and the joy to heaviness;

FBV Show some remorse, cry and weep! Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy to sadness.

TCNT Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy into gloom.

T4T Be sorrowful and weep/mourn [DOU] because of the wrong things that you have done. Do not laugh [DOU], ◄enjoying only what you selfishly/enjoying only what you yourselves► desire. Instead, be sad because you have done what is wrong.

LEB Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your[fn] joy to gloominess.

4:9 *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

BBE Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.

Moff Lament and mourn and weep,
⇔ let your laughter be turned to mourning,
⇔ and your joy to depression;

Wymth Afflict yourselves and mourn and weep aloud; let your laughter be turned into grief, and your gladness into shame.

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

DRA Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.

YLT be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter to mourning be turned, and the joy to heaviness;

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

RV Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
(Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laugheder be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. )

SLT Toil, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and joy to dejection.

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

KJB-1769 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
(Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laugheder be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. )

KJB-1611 Bee afflicted, and mourne, and weepe: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your ioy to heauinesse.
(Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laugheder be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.)

Bshps Suffer afflictions, and mourne, and weepe: Let your laughter be turned to mournyng, and your ioy to heauinesse.
(Suffer afflictions, and mourn, and weep: Let your laugheder be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.)

Gnva Suffer afflictions, and sorrowe ye, and weepe: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your ioy into heauinesse.
(Suffer afflictions, and sorrow ye/you_all, and weep: let your laugheder be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness. )

Cvdl Suffre affliccions: sorowe ye and wepe. Let youre laughter be turned to mornynge, and youre ioye to heuynes.
(Suffer afflictions: sorrow ye/you_all and weep. Let your(pl) laugheder be turned to morning, and your(pl) joy to heuynes.)

TNT Suffre affliccions: sorowe ye and wepe. Let youre laughter be turned to mornynge and youre ioye to hevynes.
(Suffer afflictions: sorrow ye/you_all and weep. Let your(pl) laugheder be turned to morning and your(pl) joy to hevynes. )

Wycl Be ye wretchis, and weile ye; youre leiyyng be turned in to weping, and ioye in to sorewe of herte.
(Be ye/you_all wretchis, and wail ye/you_all; your(pl) leiying be turned in to weping, and joy in to sorrow of heart.)

Luth Seid elend und traget Leid und weinet! Euer Lachen verkehre sich in Weinen und eure Freude in Traurigkeit.
(Are/Be miserable/poor and target sorrow and cries/weeps! Euer Lachen verkehre itself/yourself/themselves in cry(n) and your(pl) joy/pleasure/delight in sadness.)

ClVg Miseri estote, et lugete, et plorate: risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in mœrorem.
(Miseri be, and mournse, and plorate: laughter your in/into/on mourningm be_converted, and joy in/into/on sorrowm. )

UGNT ταλαιπωρήσατε, καὶ πενθήσατε, καὶ κλαύσατε. ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν.
(talaipōraʸsate, kai penthaʸsate, kai klausate. ho gelōs humōn eis penthos metatrapaʸtō, kai haʸ ⱪara eis kataʸfeian.)

SBL-GNT ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε· ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος ⸀μετατραπήτω καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν·
(talaipōraʸsate kai penthaʸsate kai klausate; ho gelōs humōn eis penthos ⸀metatrapaʸtō kai haʸ ⱪara eis kataʸfeian;)

RP-GNT Ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε· ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μεταστραφήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν.
(Talaipōraʸsate kai penthaʸsate kai klausate; ho gelōs humōn eis penthos metastrafaʸtō, kai haʸ ⱪara eis kataʸfeian.)

TC-GNT Ταλαιπωρήσατε καὶ πενθήσατε καὶ κλαύσατε· ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος [fn]μεταστραφήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν.
(Talaipōraʸsate kai penthaʸsate kai klausate; ho gelōs humōn eis penthos metastrafaʸtō, kai haʸ ⱪara eis kataʸfeian. )

4:9 μεταστραφητω ¦ μετατραπητω ECM^† NA SBL WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (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 4:7–10

In this paragraph, James gave a series of exhortations or commands on how to get back into a proper relationship with God. He said that his readers should turn back to God and submit to him.

The exhortations in this paragraph are all plural. They are general and are addressed to everyone to whom James was writing.

4:9a

Grieve, mourn, and weep.

Be^(plur) very sad/sorrowful. Mourn/Cry and shed tears.
Be very sorry and cry because of your^(plur) sins.

Grieve, mourn, and weep: The three verbs Grieve, mourn, and weep refer to the same act and attitude and all mean approximately the same thing. James used these three verbs to emphasize to his readers that they should be very sad because of their sin. In some languages, it is more natural to show this emphasis with one or two verbs plus an intensifier. For example:

Really be sad and cry over your^(plur) sins

Be very sorry that you^(plur) have sinned

Grieve: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Grieve refers to expressing inner sorrow. James wanted his readers to be sorry and sad because of their sin.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Be sorrowful (GNT)

Be sad (CEV)

mourn: The Greek word that the BSB translates as mourn refers to a severe form of grief or sadness that results in crying. Some other ways to translate this word are:

cry (GNT)

be sorry

weep: The Greek word that the BSB translates as weep means to cry. For example:

wail (NIV)

cry (GW)

4:9b

Turn your laughter to mourning,

Instead of laughing, you^(plur) should start mourning/crying,
Stop laughing and start crying. (CEV)

Turn your laughter to mourning: The word laughter refers here to the foolish laughter of people who are following the ways of the world. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Replace your laughter with crying

Let your laughter become crying

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate both laughter and mourning as verbs. For example:

Stop laughing and start crying. (CEV)

mourning: The word mourning is the same Greek word that is translated as “mourn” in 4:9a.

4:9c

and your joy to gloom.

and instead of being joyful/cheerful, you^(plur) should be sad.
Stop being happy, and start being sorry for your^(plur) sins.

and your joy to gloom: Here James left a word implicit. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply this implicit information. For example:

and change your joy to gloom

This clause is parallel to the one in 4:9b. That one referred to the noises that people make (“laughter”, “mourning”). This clause seems to refer to the expressions on their faces. Another way to translate this clause is:

and your joy into sadness (NCV)

In some languages, it will be more natural to translate joy and gloom as verbs. For example:

Be gloomy instead of glad. (CEV)

joy: The Greek word that the BSB translates as joy refers to a state of being cheerful and happy.

gloom: The Greek word that the BSB translates as gloom means sadness (as in the NCV). Your language may have an idiom describing someone who goes around with a gloomy, sad face.

General Comment on 4:9a–c

In 4:9a–c, James tells his readers three times that they should mourn because of their sin. He does this for emphasis. In some languages, it is more natural to show this emphasis in another way. For example:

Stop laughing and being so happy. Become deeply sorry and cry that you have sinned.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

ταλαιπωρήσατε, καὶ πενθήσατε, καὶ κλαύσατε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ταλαιπωρήσατε καί πενθήσατε καί κλαύσατε Ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω καί ἡ χαρά εἰς κατήφειαν)

These three verbs have similar meanings. James is using them together to emphasize how sorry his readers should be. Alternate translation: [Be extremely sorry]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ταλαιπωρήσατε, καὶ πενθήσατε, καὶ κλαύσατε

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what James is telling his readers to be sorry for. Alternate translation: [Be extremely sorry for not obeying God]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis