James 4:9

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.

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.

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

¹What leads to [the unending] quarrels and conflicts among you? Do they not come from your [hedonistic] desires that wage war in your [bodily] members [fighting for control over you]? ²You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your lust goes unfulfilled; so you murder. You are envious and cannot obtain [the object of your envy]; so you fight and battle. You do not have because you do not ask [it of God]. ³You ask [God for something] and do not receive it, because you ask with wrong motives [out of selfishness or with an unrighteous agenda], so that [when you get what you want] you may spend it on your [hedonistic] desires. ⁴You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world's friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God's enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy? ⁶But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD and HAUGHTY, BUT [continually] GIVES [the gift of] GRACE TO THE HUMBLE [who turn away from self-righteousness]." ⁷So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. ⁸Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people]. ⁹Be miserable and grieve and weep [over your sin]. Let your [foolish] laughter be turned to mourning and your [reckless] joy to gloom.¹⁰Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].

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 4:4
But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the fat portions. And the LORD had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering;

Genesis 4:9
Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he [lied and] said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Genesis 4:11
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:13
Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Genesis 4:14
"Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."

Genesis 37:32
and they brought the multicolored tunic to their father, saying, "We have found this; please examine it and decide whether or not it is your son's tunic."

Psalms 9:12
For He who avenges blood [unjustly shed] remembers them (His people); He does not forget the cry of the afflicted and abused.

Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

John 8:44
"You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.

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!