1 F rom whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that 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 desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet 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 amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

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 Y e adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the 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 D o ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

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 giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

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 ubmit 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 nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your 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 afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your 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 in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

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

11 S peak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a 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 T here is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

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 that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get 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 W hereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

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 F or that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and 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 rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

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

17 T herefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth 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.