Iacobi 4
1 Unde bella, et lites in vobis? Nonne ex concupiscentiis vestris, quae militant in membris vestris?
What is the cause of wars and fighting among you? is it not in your desires which are at war in your bodies?
2 Concupiscitis, et non habetis: occiditis, et zelatis: et non potestis adipisci: litigatis, et belligeratis, et non habetis, propter quod non postulatis.
You are burning with desire, and have not your desire, so you put men to death; you are full of envy, and you are not able to get your desire, so you are fighting and making war; you have not your desire, because you do not make request for it.
3 Petitis, et non accipitis: eo quod male petatis: ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.
You make your request but you do not get it, because your request has been wrongly made, desiring the thing only so that you may make use of it for your pleasure.
4 Adulteri nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi, inimica est Dei? Quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse saeculi huius, inimicus Dei constituitur.
O you who are false to God, do you not see that the friends of this world are not God's friends? Every man desiring to be a friend of this world makes himself a hater of God.
5 An putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat: Ad invidiam concupiscit spiritus, qui habitat in vobis?
Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us?
6 Maiorem autem dat gratiam. Propter quod dicit: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam.
But he gives more grace. So that the Writings say, God is against the men of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low before him.
7 Subditi ergo estote Deo, resistite autem diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.
For this cause be ruled by God; but make war on the Evil One and he will be put to flight before you.
8 Appropinquate Deo, et appropinquabit vobis. Emundate manus, peccatores: et purificate corda, duplices animo.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Make your hands clean, you evil-doers; put away deceit from your hearts, you false in mind.
9 Miseri estote, et lugete, et plorate: risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in moerorem.
Be troubled, with sorrow and weeping; let your laughing be turned to sorrow and your joy to grief.
10 Humiliamini in conspectu Domini, et exaltabit vos.
Make yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him.
11 Nolite detrahere alterutrum fratres mei. Qui detrahit fratri, aut qui iudicat fratrem suum, detrahit legi, et iudicat legem. Si autem iudicas legem: non es factor legis, sed iudex.
Do not say evil against one another, my brothers. He who says evil against his brother or makes himself his brother's judge, says evil against the law and is judging the law: and in judging the law you become, not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 Unus est enim legislator, et iudex, qui potest perdere, et liberare.
There is only one judge and law-giver, even he who has the power of salvation and of destruction; but who are you to be your neighbour's judge?
13 Tu autem quis es, qui iudicas proximum? Ecce nunc qui dicitis: Hodie, aut crastino ibimus in illam civitatem, et faciemus ibi quidem annum, et mercabimur, et lucrum faciemus:
How foolish it is to say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this town, and be there for a year and do business there and get wealth:
14 qui ignoratis quid erit in crastinum.
When you are not certain what will take place tomorrow. What is your life? It is a mist, which is seen for a little time and then is gone.
15 Quae est enim vita vestra? vapor est ad modicum parens, et deinceps exterminabitur; pro eo ut dicatis: Si Dominus voluerit. Et: Si vixerimus, faciemus hoc, aut illud.
But the right thing to say would be, If it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this and that.
16 Nunc autem exultatis in superbiis vestris. Omnis exultatio talis, maligna est.
But now you go on glorying in your pride: and all such glorying is evil.
17 Scienti igitur bonum facere, et non facienti, peccatum est illi.
The man who has knowledge of how to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
