Iacobi 4
1 Unde bella, et lites in vobis? Nonne ex concupiscentiis vestris, quae militant in membris vestris?
Where do wars and fights among you come from? Do they not come from your passions that wage war among your members?
2 Concupiscitis, et non habetis: occiditis, et zelatis: et non potestis adipisci: litigatis, et belligeratis, et non habetis, propter quod non postulatis.
You desire but do not have. You murder and are jealous but cannot obtain what you want. You fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 Petitis, et non accipitis: eo quod male petatis: ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.
You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 Adulteri nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi, inimica est Dei? Quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse saeculi huius, inimicus Dei constituitur.
Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 An putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat: Ad invidiam concupiscit spiritus, qui habitat in vobis?
Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The spirit that dwells in us desires to the point of envy,
6 Maiorem autem dat gratiam. Propter quod dicit: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam.
but God gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Subditi ergo estote Deo, resistite autem diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.
Submit yourselves therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Appropinquate Deo, et appropinquabit vobis. Emundate manus, peccatores: et purificate corda, duplices animo.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Miseri estote, et lugete, et plorate: risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in moerorem.
Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy into gloom.
10 Humiliamini in conspectu Domini, et exaltabit vos.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
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 speak evil against one another, brothers. He who speaks evil against a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. Now if yoʋ judge the law, yoʋ are 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 lawgiver—he who is able to save and destroy. But who are yoʋ to judge another?
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:
Come now, you who say, “Today and tomorrow let us go to such and such a city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”
14 qui ignoratis quid erit in crastinum.
You do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
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.
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, let us live and do this or that.”
16 Nunc autem exultatis in superbiis vestris. Omnis exultatio talis, maligna est.
But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
17 Scienti igitur bonum facere, et non facienti, peccatum est illi.
So whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.
