[1 Our evil lusts cause contention: 7 how we may overcome them, and gain God's favour.]
FROM when come wars and fightings among
you? come they not hence, even of your lusts
that war in your members?
2 Ye 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.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,
that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye 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.
5 Do you think that the scriptures saith in vain,
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith,
God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify
your hearts, ye double-minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your
laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to
heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall lift you up.
11 Speak 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.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save, and
to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13 Go 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:
14 Whereas 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.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will,
we shall live, and do this, or that.
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all
such rejoicing is evil.
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good,
and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
