James 4:17 - Easy To Read Version And when a person knows how to do good, but does not do good, then he is sinning. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. American Standard Version (1901) To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. Common English Bible It is a sin when someone knows the right thing to do and doesn’t do it. Catholic Public Domain Version Therefore, he who knows that he ought to do a good thing, and does not do it, for him it is a sin. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin. |
If I had not come and spoken to the people of the world, then they would not be guilty of sin. But now I have spoken to them. So they have no excuse for their sin.
Jesus said, “If you were really blind (without understanding), you would not be guilty of sin. But you say that you see (know what you are doing). So you are guilty.”
Those people know God’s law. They know God’s law says that people who live like that should die. But they continue to do those wrong things. And they say that people who do those things are doing right.
Does this mean that something that is good brought death to me? No! But sin used something that is good to bring death to me. This happened so that I could see what sin is really like. It happened to show that sin is something very, very bad. And the command was used to show this.
Yes, it would be better for those people to have never known the right way. That would be better than to know the right way and then to turn away from the holy teaching that was given to them.