James 4:17 bbe — The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4:17 in the Bible in Basic English reads: “The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

James 4:17 is found in the New Testament, in the book of James, chapter 4, verse 17.

James is traditionally attributed to James, half-brother of Jesus, leader of the Jerusalem church. It was written c. AD 44–49.

James is the New Testament's closest cousin to Old-Testament wisdom literature — pungent, practical, and uncompromising. Faith without works is dead. The tongue is a fire. The prayers of a righteous man avail much. It calls Christians to walk their talk.

James explores themes including Faith and Works, Wisdom, Speech, Suffering, Prayer. These themes shape the meaning and context of James 4:17.

James 4:17 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.

James 4:17 reads (BBE): “The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.