Semisi 4
1 ʻOku mei fē ʻae ngaahi tau mo e fekeʻikeʻi ʻoku ʻiate kimoutolu? ʻIkai ʻoku mei hoʻomou ngaahi holi kovi ia ʻaia ʻoku tau ʻi homou ngaahi kupu?
What is the cause of the fighting and quarrelling that goes on among you? Isn’t it to be found in the desires which are always at war within you?
2 ʻOku mou holi kae ʻikai maʻu: ʻoku mou tāmateʻi, mo feinga ke maʻu, kae ʻikai faʻa lavaʻi: ʻoku mou fekeʻikeʻi mo tau, kae ʻikai te mou maʻu, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te mou kole.
You crave, yet do not have, so you commit murder, so You covet, yet cannot gain your end. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 ʻOku mou kole, pea ʻikai maʻu koeʻuhi ʻoku mou kole kovi, koeʻuhi ke mou fakaʻosi ia ki hoʻomou ngaahi holi.
You ask, yet do not receive, because you ask for a wrong purpose – to spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 ʻAe kau tono fefine mo e kau tono tangata, ʻikai te mou ʻilo ko e feʻofoʻofani mo māmani ko e taufehiʻa ia ki he ʻOtua? Pea ko ia ia ʻoku loto ke kāinga mo māmani ko e fili ia ʻoe ʻOtua.
Unfaithful people! Don’t you know that to be friends with the world means to be at enmity with God? Therefore whoever chooses to be friends with the world makes himself an enemy to God.
5 He ʻoku mou mahalo ʻoku pehē noa pē ʻae lea ʻi he tohi tapu; “ʻOku holi ki he meheka ʻae laumālie ʻoku nofoʻia ʻakitautolu?”
Do you suppose scripture means nothing when it says, “Envy results from the longings of the spirit which God has implanted within you?”
6 Ka ʻoku ne foaki ʻae ʻofa lahi hake. Ko ia ʻoku pehē ʻe ia, “ʻOku tekeʻi ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae laukau ka ʻoku ne foaki ʻae ʻofa ki he angavaivai.”
But he gives us greater grace; and that is why it says, – “God opposes the haughty, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Ko ia mou fakavaivaiʻi ʻakimoutolu ki he ʻOtua. Tekeʻi ʻae tēvolo, pea ʻe puna atu ia meiate kimoutolu.
Therefore submit to God. Stand up to the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 ʻUnuʻunu atu ki he ʻOtua, pea ʻe ʻunuʻunu mai ia kiate kimoutolu. Fakamaʻa homou nima, ʻae kau angahala; pea fakamaʻa mo homou loto, ʻae kau lotolotoua.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Make your hands clean, you sinners; and your hearts pure, you vacillators!
9 Mou mamahiʻia, pea toʻetoʻe, mo tangi: ke liliu hoʻomou kata ko e toʻetoʻe, pea ko hoʻomou fiefia ko e māfasia.
Grieve, mourn, and lament! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your happiness to gloom!
10 Fakavaivaiʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻEiki, pea ʻe hakeakiʻi ʻe ia ʻakimoutolu.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
11 ʻE kāinga, ʻoua naʻa feleakoviʻaki ʻakimoutolu kiate kimoutolu. Ko ia ʻoku lauʻikovi hono tokoua, pea fakamaauʻi hono tokoua, ʻoku ne lauʻikovi ʻae fono, pea fakamaauʻi ʻae fono: pea kapau ʻoku ke fakamaauʻi ʻae fono, ʻoku ʻikai te ke fai koe ki he fono, ka ko e fakamaau.
Do not disparage one another, friends. The person who disparages others, or passes judgment on them, disparages the Law and passes judgment on the Law. But, if you pass judgment on the Law, you are not obeying it, but judging it.
12 ʻOku ai ʻae tokotaha ʻoku ne fokotuʻu ʻae fono, ʻoku faʻa fai ʻe ia ke fakamoʻui pea ke fakaʻauha: ko hai koe ʻoku ke fakamaauʻi ʻae tokotaha?
There is only one lawgiver and judge – he who has the power both to save and to destroy. So then who are you to pass judgment on your neighbour?
13 Vakai mai, ʻakimoutolu ʻoku pehē, “Ko e ʻaho ni pe ko e ʻapongipongi te tau ʻo ki ha kolo ʻe taha, ʻo nofo ai ʻi he taʻu ʻe taha, ʻo fefakatauʻaki, ʻo maʻu ai ʻae koloa:”
Listen to me, you who say “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money,”
14 Ka ʻoku ʻikai te mou ʻilo ʻaia ʻe hoko ʻapongipongi. He ko e hā hoʻomou moʻui? He ko e mao ia, ʻoku hā mai ʻo fuoloa siʻi pe, pea mole atu leva.
yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow! For you are but a puff of smoke that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
15 Kae totonu hoʻomou pehē, “Kapau ko e finangalo ʻoe ʻEiki ke moʻui ʻakitautolu, te tau fai eni, pe ko ʻena.”
Instead you should say “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
16 Ka ko eni, ʻoku mou fiefia ʻi hoʻomou faʻa polepole: ka ʻoku kovi ʻae fiefia pehē kotoa pē.
But as it is, you are boasting presumptuously! All such boasting is wicked.
17 Ko ia ia ʻoku ne ʻilo ke fai lelei, ka ʻoku ʻikai ke fai, ko e angahala ia kiate ia.
The person, then, who knows what is right but fails to do it – that is sin in them.
