James 4:3 “And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong mo…”

James 4:3

And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

Berean Standard Bible

Other translations

King James Version

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

World English Bible

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

American Standard Version

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

Geneva Bible 1599

Ye aske, and receiue not, because ye aske amisse, that ye might lay the same out on your pleasures.

Darby Translation

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

Young's Literal Translation

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

Bible in Basic English

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.

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Cross references

“ask, and”

1 John 5:14 1 John 3:22 Proverbs 15:8 Micah 3:4 Job 35:12 Zechariah 7:13

1 John 5:14 · BSB

And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 3:22 · BSB

and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.

Proverbs 15:8 · BSB

The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

Micah 3:4 · BSB

Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.

Job 35:12 · BSB

There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.

Zechariah 7:13 · BSB

And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.

“ye may”

Luke 15:13 Luke 16:1 Luke 16:2 Luke 15:30

Luke 15:13 · BSB

After a few days, the younger son got everything together and journeyed to a distant country, where he squandered his wealth in wild living.

Luke 16:1 · BSB

Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.

Luke 16:2 · BSB

So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’

Luke 15:30 · BSB

But when this son of yours returns from squandering your wealth with prostitutes, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“lusts”

James 4:1

James 4:1 · BSB

What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

Cross references adapted from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0) and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

In context

2You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

Read James 4