James - Chapter 4

Passage

From where are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members? You covet, and have not: you kill and envy and cannot obtain. You contend and war, and you have not: because you ask not. You ask and receive not: because you ask amiss, that you may consume it on your concupiscences. Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think that the scripture says in vain: To envy does the spirit covet which dwells in you? But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil: and he will fly from you. Draw nigh to God: and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded. Be afflicted and mourn and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into sorrow. Be humbled in the sight of the Lord: and he will exalt you. Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracts his brother, or he that judges his brother, detracts the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver. But who are you that judgest your neighbor? Behold, now you that say: To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year and will traffic and make our gain. Whereas you do not know what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is a vapor which appears for a little while and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and, If we shall live, we will do this or that. But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked. To him therefore who knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.