Yakobo 4

1 Nu kae hea avuwɔwɔ kple dzrewɔwɔ vaa mia dome? Ɖe menye miaƒe dzimedidi siwo le aʋa wɔm le mia me lae oa?

Now I will tell you why you are fighting among yourselves and quarreling with each other [RHQ]. It is [RHQ] because each of you wants to do evil things [PRS]. You keep on wanting to do things that are not [what God wants you to do].

2 Miedia nu, gake miekpɔnɛ o, miewua ame, xɔa eƒe nuwo, gake nu si dim miele la masu mia si o. Miewɔa dzre, eye miewɔa avu hã, gake nuawo mesua mia si o, elabena miebiaa Mawu o.

There are things that you [very much] desire to have, but you do not get [those things, so] you [want to] kill [HYP] [those who hinder you from getting them]. You desire what [other people have], but you are unable to get [what you desire, so] you quarrel and fight [with one another] [HYP]. You do not have [what you desire] because you do not ask [God for it].

3 Ne miebia la, miaƒe asi mesua edzi o, elabe miebia kple susu vɔ̃ɖi, miebia nu siwo miawɔ yakayaka na mía ɖokuiwo.

[And even when] you do ask [him], he does not give you [what you ask for] because you are asking for the wrong reason. [You are asking for things] in order that you may use them just to (enjoy yourselves/make yourselves happy).

4 Mi ahasiwɔlawo! Ɖe mienya be ne miedze xɔlɔ̃ xexea me la, ekema mielé fu Mawu oa? Ame sia ame si dze xɔlɔ̃ xexea me la nye Mawu ƒe futɔ.

[Like] a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, you [are being unfaithful to God and not obeying him any more] [MET]. Those who are behaving as evil people do [MTY] (OR, Those who love [the evil pleasures of] this world) are hostile toward God. Perhaps you do not realize that [RHQ]. So those who decide to act as evil people do [MTY] become enemies of God.

5 Alo ɖe miesusu be dzodzroe mawunya gblɔ be gbɔgbɔ si wòde mía me la ʋãa ŋu veviea?

(Surely you remember that [God told us in] the Scriptures that he eagerly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love [God] only!/Do you think that it is for no reason that [God told us in] the Scriptures that he strongly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love [God] only?) [RHQ] God has a reason for desiring that.

6 Ke ena amenuveve geɖe mí. Esia ta mawunya gblɔ be, “Mawu tsia tsitre ɖe dadalawo ŋu, ke evea ame siwo bɔbɔa wo ɖokui la nu.”

[It is because] he is kind [to us and he] wants very much to help us. That is why (someone said/[King Solomon] wrote) [in the Scriptures], “God opposes those who are proud, but he helps those who are humble.”

7 Eya ta mibɔbɔ mia ɖokuiwo ɖe Mawu te. Mitsi tsitre sesĩe ɖe Abosam ŋuti, ekema asi le mia nu.

So submit yourselves to God. (Resist the devil/Refuse to do what the devil wants), and [as a result] he will run away from you.

8 Mite ɖe Mawu ŋu kpokploe, eye eya hã atsɔ ɖe mia gbɔ. Mi, nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo, miklɔ miaƒe asiwo, eye mi ame siwo nye dzi eve me susulawo la, miklɔ miaƒe dziwo me.

Come near [spiritually] to God, and [as a result] he will come near to you. You who are sinners, stop doing what is wrong, and do only what is good [SYN, MET]. You who cannot decide [whether you will] ([commit yourselves to God/obey God completely]), stop thinking wrong thoughts, and think only pure thoughts [MTY].

9 Milé blanui, mifa konyi, eye mifa avi. Mina miaƒe nukoko nazu konyifafa, eye miaƒe dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ nazu blanuiléle.

Be sorrowful and weep/mourn [DOU] [because of the wrong things that you have done]. Do not laugh [DOU], ([enjoying only what you selfishly/enjoying only what you yourselves]) [desire]. Instead, be sad [because you have done what is wrong].

10 Mibɔbɔ mia ɖokui na Aƒetɔ la, ekema ado mi ɖe dzi.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and [as a result] he will honor you.

11 Nɔviwo, migagblẽ mia nɔewo ŋu o, ame si gblẽ nɔvia ŋu alo drɔ̃ ʋɔnui la tsi tsitre ɖe se la ŋu hedrɔ̃ ʋɔnui. Ne èdrɔ̃ ʋɔnu se la la, mèle edzi wɔm o, ke boŋ ènɔ ʋɔnudrɔ̃zikpui dzi hele ʋɔnu drɔ̃m se la.

My fellow believers, stop saying evil things about one another, [because] those who say something evil about a fellow believer and [are therefore] condemning [one who is like] a brother [to them] are really speaking against the law [that God gave us to obey]. [In this law, God commanded] [MTY] [us to love others], and those who say evil things about fellow believers, [it is as though] they are saying that we do not have to do what [God] commanded. If you [(sg)] say that you do not have to do what God commanded, you [(sg)] are not obeying God’s law. Instead, you [(sg)] are claiming that you [have the authority] to condemn [others].

12 Senala kple ʋɔnudrɔ̃la ɖeka koe li, ame si tea ŋu ɖea ame, eye wotsrɔ̃a ame hã. Ke wò la, ame ka nènye be nàdrɔ̃ ʋɔnu hawòvi?

[But in fact], there is only one who [has the authority to] tell [people] what is right to do and to condemn [them, and that is God]. He alone is able to save [people] or to destroy people. [So], (you [(sg)] certainly have no right to decide how God should punish other people./who are you to decide how God should punish other people?) [RHQ]

13 Azɔ la, miɖo to nyuie, mi ame siwo le gbɔgblɔm be, “Egbe alo etsɔ míayi du si alo ekemɛ me, anɔ anyi ƒe ɖeka, atsa asi, eye míakpɔ ga.”

[Some of you] are [arrogantly] saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city. We will spend a year there and we will buy and sell things and earn a lot of money.” Now, you listen to me!

14 Nu ka ta? Elabena mienya nu si ava adzɔ etsɔ si gbɔna la gɔ̃ hã o. Nu ka miaƒe agbe nye? Miele abe afu si dona ɣeyiɣi kpui aɖe, eye wògabuna la ene.

[You should not talk like that, because] you do not know what will happen tomorrow, and you do not know [how long] you will live! Your life [is short] [MET], [like] a mist that appears for a short time and then disappears.

15 Ke boŋ migblɔ be, “Nenye Aƒetɔ la ƒe lɔlɔ̃nu la, míanɔ agbe, eye míawɔ nu si kple ekemɛ.”

Instead of [what you are saying], you should say, “If the Lord wills/desires, we will live and do this or that.”

16 Ke nu si miewɔna la nye dada kple ɖokuidodoɖedzi ƒuƒlu. Adegbeƒoƒo siawo tɔgbi katã nye nu vɔ̃,

But what you are doing is boasting about all the things that you arrogantly [plan to do]. Your boasting like that is evil.

17 eya ta ne ame aɖe nya nu nyui si wòle be wòawɔ, gake mewɔe o la, ewɔ nu vɔ̃.

So if anyone knows the right thing that he should do, [but] he does not do it, he is sinning.