Chapter 4

Whence do wars and quarrels come among you? Is it not from this, from your passions, which wage war in your members?

You covet and do not have; you kill and envy, and cannot obtain. You quarrel and wrangle, and you do not have because you do not ask.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it upon your passions.

Adulterers, do you not know that the friendship of this world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of this world becomes an enemy of God.

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit which dwells in you covets unto jealousy"?

But he gives a greater grace. For this reason it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Be sorrowful, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sadness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. Presumption

Brethren, do not speak against one another. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

There is one Lawgiver and Judge, he who is able to destroy and to save.

But thou who judgest thy neighbor, who art thou? Behold now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and spend a year there, and trade and make money";

you who do not know what will happen tomorrow.

For what is your life? It is a mist that appears for a little while, and then vanishes. You ought rather to say, "If the Lord will," and, "If we live, we will do this or that."

But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Therefore he who knows how to do good, and does not do it, commits a sin.