1 م ِنْ أينَ تَأْتِي الخُصُوماتُ وَالمُشاجَراتُ الَّتِي بَينَكُمْ؟ ألا تَأْتِي مِنْ داخِلِكُمْ، وَمِنْ شَهَواتِكُمُ الَّتِي تَتَعارَكُ فِي أجسادِكُمْ دائِماً؟

What starts wars and fights among you? Is it not because you want many things and are fighting to have them?

2 ت ُرِيدُونَ أشياءَ، لَكِنَّكُمْ لا تَنالُونَها. تَقتُلُونَ وَتَحسِدُونَ، لَكِنَّكُمْ لا تَنالُونَ شَيئاً، فَتَتَخاصَمُونَ وَتَتَشاجَرُونَ فِيما بَينَكُمْ. أيُّها الإخوَةُ، أنتُمْ لا تَنالُونَ ما تُرِيدُونَ لِأنَّكُمْ لا تَطلُبُونَ مِنَ اللهِ.

You want something you do not have, so you kill. You want something but cannot get it, so you fight for it. You do not get things because you do not ask for them.

3 و َلَكِنْ حَتَّى عِندَما تَطلُبُونَ، لا تَنالُونَ شَيئاً، لِأنَّكُمْ تَطلُبُونَ بِدَوافِعَ خاطِئَةٍ، لِكَي تَستَغِلُّوا ما تَحصُلُونَ عَلَيهِ فِي لَذّاتِكُمُ الشَّخصِيَّةِ.

Or if you do ask, you do not receive because your reasons for asking are wrong. You want these things only to please yourselves.

4 أ يُّها الخائِنُونَ، ألا تَعلَمُونَ أنَّ مُصادَقَةَ العالَمِ تَعنِي مُعاداةَ اللهِ؟ فَالَّذِي يُرِيدُ العالَمَ صَدِيقاً لَهُ، يَجعَلُ نَفسَهُ عَدُوّاً للهِ.

You are as wives and husbands who are not faithful in marriage and do sex sins. Do you not know that to love the sinful things of the world and to be a friend to them is to be against God? Yes, I say it again, if you are a friend of the world, you are against God.

5 ه َلْ تَظُنُّونَ أنَّ الكِتابَ لا يَعنِي شَيئاً عِندَما يَقُولُ: «الرُّوحُ الَّتِي جَعَلَها اللهُ فِينا تُرِيدُنا أنْ نَكُونَ لَها وَحدَها بِسَبَبِ غَيرَتِها؟»

Do you think the Holy Writings mean nothing when they said, “The Holy Spirit Whom God has given to live in us has a strong desire for us to be faithful to Him”?

6 ل َكِنَّ اللهَ يُعطِينا نِعمَةً أعظَمَ. لِذَلِكَ يَقُولُ الكِتابُ: «يُقاوِمُ اللهُ المُتَكَبِّرِينَ، لَكِنَّهُ يُعْطي نِعمَتَهُ لِلمُتَواضِعِينَ.»

But He gives us more loving-favor. For the Holy Writings say, “God works against the proud but gives loving-favor to those who have no pride.”

7 ف اخضَعُوا للهِ، وَقاوِمُوا إبلِيسَ فَيَهرُبَ مِنكُمْ.

So give yourselves to God. Stand against the devil and he will run away from you.

8 ا قتَرِبُوا مِنَ اللهِ، فَيَقتَرِبَ مِنكُمْ. طَهِّرُوا أيدِيَكُمْ أيُّها الخُطاةُ، وَنَقُّوا قُلُوبَكُمْ أيُّها المُتَقَلِّبُونَ.

Come close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of the world and God at the same time.

9 ا حزَنُوا وَنُوحُوا وَابكُوا بِشِدَّةٍ! لِيَتَحَوَّلَ ضَحِكُكُمْ إلَى نُواحٍ، وَسَعادَتُكُمْ إلَى كَآبَةٍ.

Be sorry for your sins and cry because of them. Be sad and do not laugh. Let your joy be turned to sorrow.

10 ت َواضَعُوا أمامَ الرَّبِّ، وَهُوَ سَيَرفَعُكُمْ. لَستُمْ قُضاة

Let yourself be brought low before the Lord. Then He will lift you up and help you. Do Not Talk Against Each Other

11 ا متَنِعُوا يا إخْوَتِي، عَنِ انتِقادِ بَعضِكُمْ بَعضاً. كُلُّ مَنْ يَنتَقِدُ أخاهُ، أوْ يَحكُمُ عَلَى أخِيهِ، فَهُوَ يَحكُمُ عَلَى الشَّرِيعَةِ. وَإنْ كُنتَ تَحكُمُ عَلَى الشَّرِيعَةِ، فَأنتَ لا تَعمَلُ بِحَسَبِ الشَّرِيعَةِ، لَكِنَّكَ تَجعَلُ نَفسَكَ قاضِياً لَها.

Christian brothers, do not talk against anyone or speak bad things about each other. If a person says bad things about his brother, he is speaking against him. And he will be speaking against God’s Law. If you say the Law is wrong, and do not obey it, you are saying you are better than the Law.

12 ل َكِنَّ القاضِي وَمُعطِي الشَّرِيعَةِ واحِدٌ، إنَّهُ اللهُ القادِرُ أنْ يُخَلِّصَ وَأنْ يُهلِكَ. فَمَنْ تَظُنُّ نَفسَكَ يا مَنْ تَحكُمُ عَلَى الآخَرِينَ؟ اللهُ يُخَطِّطُ لِحَياتِك

Only God can say what is right or wrong. He made the Law. He can save or put to death. How can we say if our brother is right or wrong?

13 ا سْمَعُوا يا مَنْ تُقُولُونَ: «اليَومَ أوْ غَداً سَنُسافِرُ إلَى هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ أوْ تِلكَ، وَسَنَعمَلُ وَسَنَجمَعُ المالَ.»

Listen! You who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this city and stay a year and make money.”

14 إ نَّكُمْ لا تَعلَمُونَ كَيفَ سَتَكُونُ حَياتُكُمْ غَداً. أنتُمْ كَالبُخارِ الَّذِي يَظهَرُ لِوَقتٍ قَلِيلٍ ثُمَّ يَختَفِي.

You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? It is like fog. You see it and soon it is gone.

15 ل َكِنْ يَنبَغِي أنْ تَقُولُوا دائِماً: «إنْ شاءَ الرَّبُّ، سَنَعِيشُ وَنَعمَلُ كَذا وَكَذا.»

What you should say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

16 ل َكِنَّكُمْ تَتَباهَونَ بِسَبَبِ عَجرَفَتِكُمْ. وَمِثلُ هَذا التَّباهِي شَرٌّ.

But instead you are proud. You talk loud and big about yourselves. All such pride is sin.

17 ف َمَنْ يَعرِفُ كَيفَ يَعمَلُ ما هُوَ صَوابٌ، ثُمَّ يَمتَنِعُ عَنْ عَمَلِهِ، فَإنَّهُ يَرتَكِبُ خَطِيَّةً.

If you know what is right to do but you do not do it, you sin.