Iacobi 4
1 Unde bella et lites in vobis? nonne hinc: ex concupiscentiis vestris, quæ militant in membris vestris?
What causes wars and contentions among you? Is it not the cravings which are ever at war within you for various pleasures?
2 concupiscitis, et non habetis: occiditis, et zelatis: et non potestis adipisci: litigatis, et belligeratis, et non habetis, propter quod non postulatis.
You covet things and yet cannot get them; you commit murder; you have passionate desires and yet cannot gain your end; you begin to fight and make war. You have not, because you do not pray;
3 Petitis, et non accipitis: eo quod male petatis: ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.
or you pray and yet do not receive, because you pray wrongly, your object being to waste what you get on some pleasure or another.
4 Adulteri, nescitis quia amicitia hujus mundi inimica est Dei? quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse sæculi hujus, inimicus Dei constituitur.
You unfaithful women, do you not know that friendship with the world means enmity to God? Therefore whoever is bent on being friendly with the world makes himself an enemy to God.
5 An putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat: Ad invidiam concupiscit spiritus qui habitat in vobis?
Or do you suppose that it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "The Spirit which He has caused to dwell in our hearts yearns jealously over us"?
6 majorem autem dat gratiam. Propter quod dicit: Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam.
But He gives more abundant grace, as is implied in His saying, "God sets Himself against the haughty, but to the lowly He gives grace."
7 Subditi ergo estote Deo, resistite autem diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.
Submit therefore to God: resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Appropinquate Deo, et appropinquabit vobis. Emundate manus, peccatores: et purificate corda, duplices animo.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you who are half-hearted towards God.
9 Miseri estote, et lugete, et plorate: risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in mœrorem.
Afflict yourselves and mourn and weep aloud; let your laughter be turned into grief, and your gladness into shame.
10 Humiliamini in conspectu Domini, et exaltabit vos.
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 Nolite detrahere alterutrum fratres. Qui detrahit fratri, aut qui judicat fratrem suum, detrahit legi, et judicat legem. Si autem judicas legem, non es factor legis, sed judex.
Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. The man who speaks evil of a brother-man or judges his brother-man speaks evil of the Law and judges the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are no longer one who obeys the Law, but one who judges it.
12 Unus est legislator et judex, qui potest perdere et liberare.
The only real Lawgiver and Judge is He who is able to save or to destroy. Who are you to sit in judgement on your fellow man?
13 Tu autem quis es, qui judicas proximum? Ecce nunc qui dicitis: Hodie, aut crastino ibimus in illam civitatem, et faciemus ibi quidem annum, et mercabimur, et lucrum faciemus:
Come, you who say, "To-day or to-morrow we will go to this or that city, and spend a year there and carry on a successful business,"
14 qui ignoratis quid erit in crastino.
when, all the while, you do not even know what will happen to-morrow. For what is the nature of your life? Why, it is but a mist, which appears for a short time and then is seen no more.
15 Quæ est enim vita vestra? vapor est ad modicum parens, et deinceps exterminabitur; pro eo ut dicatis: Si Dominus voluerit. Et: Si vixerimus, faciemus hoc, aut illud.
Instead of that you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live and do this or that."
16 Nunc autem exsultatis in superbiis vestris. Omnis exsultatio talis, maligna est.
But, as the case stands, it is in mere self-confidence that you boast: all such boasting is evil.
17 Scienti igitur bonum facere, et non facienti, peccatum est illi.
If, however, a man knows what it is right to do and yet does not do it, he commits a sin.
