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

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your 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 lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. 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 ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your 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 adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself 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 think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “ He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?

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

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “ God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

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

Submit therefore 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.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

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

Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

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.

Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

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

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge 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 to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

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 what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

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

Instead, you ought to say, “ If the Lord wills, we will live and also 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 arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

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

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.