¹What is the source of quarrels and ^aconflicts among you? ²Is the source not your pleasures that wage ^bwar in ³your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you ^acommit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and ^ado not receive, because you ask ¹with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request ²on your pleasures. 4 You ^aadulteresses, do you not know that friendship with ^bthe world is ^chostility toward God? ^dTherefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture ^asays to no purpose, “¹He ²jealously desires ^bthe Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? 6 But ^aHe gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “^bGOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.” 7 ^aSubmit therefore to God. But ^1bresist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 ^aCome close to God and He will come close to you. ^bCleanse your hands, you sinners; and ^cpurify your hearts, you ^1ddouble-minded. 9 ^aBe miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 ^aHumble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

11 ^aDo not speak against one another, ^bbrothers and sisters. The one who speaks against a brother or sister, or ^cjudges his brother or sister, speaks against ^dthe law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not ^ea doer of the law but a judge of it. 12 There is only one ^aLawgiver and Judge, the One who is ^bable to save and to destroy; but ^cwho are you, ¹judging your neighbor?

13 ^aCome now, you who say, “^bToday or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 ¹Yet you do not know ²what your life will be like tomorrow. ^aFor you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15 ¹Instead, you ought to say, “^aIf the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your ¹arrogance; ^aall such boasting is evil. 17 So ^afor one who knows the ¹right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.