Semisi 4

1 ‌ʻOku mei fē ʻae ngaahi tau mo e fekeʻikeʻi ʻoku ʻiate kimoutolu? ʻIkai ʻoku mei hoʻomou ngaahi holi kovi ia ʻaia ʻoku tau ʻi homou ngaahi kupu?

Where do quarrels and disputes among you come from? Do they not come from your desires that fight among your members?

2 ‌ʻOku mou holi kae ʻikai maʻu: ʻoku mou tāmateʻi, mo feinga ke maʻu, kae ʻikai faʻa lavaʻi: ʻoku mou fekeʻikeʻi mo tau, kae ʻikai te mou maʻu, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te mou kole.

You desire, and you do not have. You kill and covet, and you are not able to obtain. You fight and quarrel. You do not possess because you do not ask.

3 ‌ʻOku mou kole, pea ʻikai maʻu koeʻuhi ʻoku mou kole kovi, koeʻuhi ke mou fakaʻosi ia ki hoʻomou ngaahi holi.

You ask and do not receive because you ask badly, in order that you may use it for your desires.

4 ‌ʻAe kau tono fefine mo e kau tono tangata, ʻikai te mou ʻilo ko e feʻofoʻofani mo māmani ko e taufehiʻa ia ki he ʻOtua? Pea ko ia ia ʻoku loto ke kāinga mo māmani ko e fili ia ʻoe ʻOtua.

You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility against God? So whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5 He ʻoku mou mahalo ʻoku pehē noa pē ʻae lea ʻi he tohi tapu; “ʻOku holi ki he meheka ʻae laumālie ʻoku nofoʻia ʻakitautolu?”

Or do you think the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply jealous”?

6 Ka ʻoku ne foaki ʻae ʻofa lahi hake. Ko ia ʻoku pehē ʻe ia, “ʻOku tekeʻi ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae laukau ka ʻoku ne foaki ʻae ʻofa ki he angavaivai.”

But God gives more grace, so the scripture says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

7 Ko ia mou fakavaivaiʻi ʻakimoutolu ki he ʻOtua. Tekeʻi ʻae tēvolo, pea ʻe puna atu ia meiate kimoutolu.

So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 ‌ʻUnuʻunu atu ki he ʻOtua, pea ʻe ʻunuʻunu mai ia kiate kimoutolu. Fakamaʻa homou nima, ʻae kau angahala; pea fakamaʻa mo homou loto, ʻae kau lotolotoua.

Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

9 Mou mamahiʻia, pea toʻetoʻe, mo tangi: ke liliu hoʻomou kata ko e toʻetoʻe, pea ko hoʻomou fiefia ko e māfasia.

Grieve, mourn, and cry! Let your laughter turn into sadness and your joy into gloom.

10 Fakavaivaiʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻEiki, pea ʻe hakeakiʻi ʻe ia ʻakimoutolu.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11 ‌ʻE kāinga, ʻoua naʻa feleakoviʻaki ʻakimoutolu kiate kimoutolu. Ko ia ʻoku lauʻikovi hono tokoua, pea fakamaauʻi hono tokoua, ʻoku ne lauʻikovi ʻae fono, pea fakamaauʻi ʻae fono: pea kapau ʻoku ke fakamaauʻi ʻae fono, ʻoku ʻikai te ke fai koe ki he fono, ka ko e fakamaau.

Do not speak against one another, brothers. The person who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 ‌ʻOku ai ʻae tokotaha ʻoku ne fokotuʻu ʻae fono, ʻoku faʻa fai ʻe ia ke fakamoʻui pea ke fakaʻauha: ko hai koe ʻoku ke fakamaauʻi ʻae tokotaha?

Only one is the lawgiver and judge. He is the one who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, you who judge your neighbor?

13 Vakai mai, ʻakimoutolu ʻoku pehē, “Ko e ʻaho ni pe ko e ʻapongipongi te tau ʻo ki ha kolo ʻe taha, ʻo nofo ai ʻi he taʻu ʻe taha, ʻo fefakatauʻaki, ʻo maʻu ai ʻae koloa:”

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

14 Ka ʻoku ʻikai te mou ʻilo ʻaia ʻe hoko ʻapongipongi. He ko e hā hoʻomou moʻui? He ko e mao ia, ʻoku hā mai ʻo fuoloa siʻi pe, pea mole atu leva.

Who knows what will happen tomorrow, and what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears.

15 Kae totonu hoʻomou pehē, “Kapau ko e finangalo ʻoe ʻEiki ke moʻui ʻakitautolu, te tau fai eni, pe ko ʻena.”

Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

16 Ka ko eni, ʻoku mou fiefia ʻi hoʻomou faʻa polepole: ka ʻoku kovi ʻae fiefia pehē kotoa pē.

But now you are boasting about your arrogant plans. All such boasting is evil.

17 Ko ia ia ʻoku ne ʻilo ke fai lelei, ka ʻoku ʻikai ke fai, ko e angahala ia kiate ia.

So for anyone who knows to do good but does not do it, for him it is sin.