1 W hat leads to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members?

Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?

2 Y ou are jealous and covet and your desires go unfulfilled; you become murderers. You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain, so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask.

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 y ou do ask and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is to spend it in sensual pleasures.

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

4 Y ou unfaithful wives! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God.

Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

5 O r do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit with a jealous love?

Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

6 B ut He gives us more and more grace ( power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

7 S o be subject to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 C ome close to God and He will come close to you. sinners, get your soiled hands clean; wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

9 b e deeply penitent and grieve, even weep. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame.

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

10 H umble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

11 b rethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning and criticizing the Law and judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but a censor and judge.

Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 O ne only is the Lawgiver and Judge Who is able to save and to destroy. who are you that pass judgment on your neighbor?

One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?

13 C ome now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money.

Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:

14 Y et you do not know about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears.

whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

15 Y ou ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.

16 B ut as it is, you boast in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong.

But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

17 S o any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.

To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.