1 W hence wars and whence fightings among you? not thence,—from your pleasures, which war in your members?

What 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?

2 Y e lust and have not: ye kill and are full of envy, and cannot obtain; ye fight and war; ye have not because ye ask not.

You 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.

3 Y e ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume in your pleasures.

you 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.

4 A dulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.

You 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.

5 T hink ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

Or 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?

6 B ut he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against proud, but gives grace to lowly.

But 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).

7 S ubject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

So be subject to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 D raw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners, and purify hearts, ye double-minded.

Come 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.

9 B e wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and joy to heaviness.

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

10 H umble yourselves before Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 S peak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against brother, or judges his brother, speaks against law and judges law. But if thou judgest law, thou art not doer of law, but judge.

brethren, 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.

12 O ne is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou who judgest thy neighbour?

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

13 G o to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,

Come 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.

14 y e who do not know what will be on the morrow, ( what your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing,)

Yet 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.

15 i nstead of your saying, If the Lord should will and we should live, we will also do this or that.

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

16 B ut now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

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

17 T o him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.

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