Jacques 3
1 Ne soyez pas beaucoup de docteurs, mes frères, sachant que nous en recevrons un jugement plus sévère;
My fellow believers, not many of you should [desire to] become teachers [of God’s truth, because] you know [that God] will judge us [(exc)], who teach others, more severely [than he will judge other people].
2 car nous faillissons tous à plusieurs égards. Si quelqu’un ne faillit pas en paroles, celui-là est un homme parfait, capable de tenir aussi tout le corps en bride.
It is true that we all in many ways do things that are wrong [MET]. But those who always [LIT] control what they say will be all that God intends/wants them to be. They will be able to control all their actions [MTY].
3 Voici, nous mettons les mors des chevaux dans leurs bouches, pour qu’ils nous obéissent, et nous dirigeons çà et là leur corps tout entier.
[To illustrate], if we put [a small metal] bit into the mouth of a horse in order to cause the horse to obey us, we can cause the horse to turn [and go where we want it to] [MET].
4 Voici, les navires aussi, qui sont si grands et qui sont poussés par des vents violents, sont dirigés çà et là par un très petit gouvernail, où que ce soit que le veuille l’impulsion de celui qui les gouverne.
Think also about ships. [Although] a ship may be very large and [although] it can be moved by strong winds {strong winds can move it}, by [turning] a very small (rudder/steering paddle) people can direct the ship wherever they want [it to go].
5 Ainsi aussi la langue est un petit membre et elle se vante de grandes choses. Voici, un petit feu, quelle grande forêt allume-t-il!
Similarly, [although] our tongues are very small, [if we do not control them], we can [harm] many people by what we proudly say [MTY]. Think [also] about how [just] a small [flame of] fire can cause a large forest (OR, a large area of brushwood) to burn.
6 Et la langue est un feu. La langue, un monde d’iniquité, est établie parmi nos membres; c’est elle qui souille tout le corps, et enflamme tout le cours de la nature, et est enflammée par la géhenne. (Geenna g1067)
[Just like a fire damages a forest] [MET], when we say things that are evil, [we harm many people]. What we say [MTY] reveals that we are very evil. What we say contaminates/defiles everything that we think and do [PRS, MET]. [Just like a flame of fire easily] causes [the whole surrounding area] [MET] to burn, what we say [MTY] can cause [others] to want to do evil. It is the devil himself [MTY] who causes us to say evil things. (Geenna g1067)
7 Car toute espèce de bêtes sauvages et d’oiseaux, de reptiles et d’animaux marins, se dompte et a été domptée par l’espèce humaine;
Indeed, although people are able to tame/control all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and creatures that live in the water, and people have actually tamed/controlled them,
8 mais pour la langue, aucun des hommes ne peut la dompter: c’est un mal désordonné, plein d’un venin mortel.
no person ([on his own/by himself]) is able to control what he says [MTY]. And when people say evil things, [it shows that] they are unstable/uncontrolled and wicked [MTY]. [As] the poison [of a snake kills people] [MTY], [we harm others] [MET] by what we say.
9 Par elle nous bénissons le Seigneur et Père, et par elle nous maudissons les hommes faits à la ressemblance de Dieu;
We use our tongue to praise God, who is our Lord and Father, but we also use our same tongue to ask God to say evil things to people. [That is very wrong]! God made people like himself, [so we should speak as respectfully to others as we speak to God].
10 de la même bouche procède la bénédiction et la malédiction. Mes frères, il ne devrait pas en être ainsi.
We praise [God], but with our same mouth we also ask for evil [things to happen to others]. My fellow believers, this should not be!
11 Une fontaine fait-elle jaillir par une même ouverture le doux et l’amer?
Surely bitter water and good water do not come out of the same spring! [RHQ]
12 Mes frères, un figuier peut-il produire des olives, ou une vigne, des figues? De l’eau salée ne peut pas non plus faire de l’eau douce.
My fellow believers, a fig tree cannot [RHQ] produce olives. Nor can [RHQ] a grapevine produce figs. Neither can a salty spring produce good [water]. [Similarly, we should say only good things, and we should not say evil things] [MET].
13 Qui est sage et intelligent parmi vous? Que par une bonne conduite il montre ses œuvres avec la douceur de la sagesse.
If any of you thinks [RHQ] that [you are] wise and know a lot, you should always act in a good way to show people that your good actions are the result of your [being truly] wise. Being wise [helps us to act] gently [toward others].
14 Mais si vous avez une jalousie amère et un esprit de querelle dans vos cœurs, ne vous glorifiez pas et ne mentez pas contre la vérité.
But if you are very [MET] jealous/unhappy when you see that someone else is succeeding, and always want to have what you want, regardless of what others want, you should not say [that you are wise, for by boasting like that], you are saying that ([God’s message/what God says about you]) is not true.
15 Ce n’est pas là la sagesse qui descend d’en haut, mais [une sagesse] terrestre, animale, diabolique.
Those who have such [attitudes are] not wise [MTY] in the way that God [wants them to be]. Instead, they are only thinking and acting like ([ungodly people/people who do not please God]). They think and act according to their own [evil] desires. They do what the demons [want them to do] (OR, they think and act as demons [do]).
16 Car où il y a de la jalousie et un esprit de querelle, là il y a du désordre et toute espèce de mauvaises actions.
[Keep in mind that] people who have such attitudes (are unruly/do not submit to authority) and [do] all kinds of evil things.
17 Mais la sagesse d’en haut est premièrement pure, ensuite paisible, modérée, traitable, pleine de miséricorde et de bons fruits, sans partialité, sans hypocrisie.
But [when people] are wise [PRS] in the way that God [MTY] [wants them to be], they are pure in every way, which God considers to be very important. They also act peaceably towards [others], they (are considerate of/think about the rights and feelings of) others, they are willing to yield to [the wishes of] others, they act compassionately [toward others], and they do all kinds of good things [for others] [MET]. [How they treat others does] not depend on (others’ status/whether others are important or not), and they are sincere [in all they do].
18 Or le fruit de la justice, dans la paix, se sème pour ceux qui procurent la paix.
Those who [act] peaceably [toward others] cause [others to also] act peaceably, with the result that they all live together [acting toward each other] in a righteous way [MET].
