James 3–4

¹Many teachers become not, my brethren, having known that greater judgment we shall receive, ²for we all make many stumbles; if any one in word doth not stumble, this one is a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body; ³lo, the bits we put into the mouths of the horses for their obeying us, and their whole body we turn about; ⁴lo, also the ships, being so great, and by fierce winds being driven, are led about by a very small helm, whithersoever the impulse of the helmsman doth counsel, ⁵so also the tongue is a little member, and doth boast greatly; lo, a little fire how much wood it doth kindle! ⁶and the tongue is a fire, the world of the unrighteousness, so the tongue is set in our members, which is spotting our whole body, and is setting on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by the gehenna. ⁷For every nature, both of beasts and of fowls, both of creeping things and things of the sea, is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the human nature, ⁸and the tongue no one of men is able to subdue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, ⁹with it we do bless the God and Father, and with it we do curse the men made according to the similitude of God; ¹⁰out of the same mouth doth come forth blessing and cursing; it doth not need, my brethren, these things so to happen; ¹¹doth the fountain out of the same opening pour forth the sweet and the bitter? ¹²is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? or a vine figs? so no fountain salt and sweet water is able to make.

¹³Who is wise and intelligent among you? let him shew out of the good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom, ¹⁴and if bitter zeal ye have, and rivalry in your heart, glory not, nor lie against the truth; ¹⁵this wisdom is not descending from above, but earthly, physical, demon-like, ¹⁶for where zeal and rivalry are, there is insurrection and every evil matter; ¹⁷and the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical:— ¹⁸and the fruit of the righteousness in peace is sown to those making peace.

Chapter 4

¹Whence are wars and fightings among you? not thence—out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members? ²ye desire, and ye have not; ye murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; ye fight and war, and ye have not, because of your not asking; ³ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend it. ⁴Adulterers and adulteresses! have ye not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, an enemy of God he is set. ⁵Do ye think that emptily the Writing saith, ‘To envy earnestly desireth the spirit that did dwell in us,’ ⁶and greater grace he doth give, wherefore he saith, ‘God against proud ones doth set Himself up, and to lowly ones He doth give grace?’ ⁷be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you; ⁸draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you; cleanse hands, ye sinners! and purify hearts, ye two-souled! ⁹be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter to mourning be turned, and the joy to heaviness; ¹⁰be made low before the Lord, and He shall exalt you.

¹¹Speak not one against another, brethren; he who is speaking against a brother, and is judging his brother, doth speak against law, and doth judge law, and if law thou dost judge, thou art not a doer of law but a judge; ¹²one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; thou—who art thou that dost judge the other? ¹³Go, now, ye who are saying, ‘To-day and to-morrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;’ ¹⁴who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing; ¹⁵instead of your saying, ‘If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;’ ¹⁶and now ye glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil; ¹⁷to him, then, knowing to do good, and not doing, sin it is to him.

Chapter 5