A Warning against Pride

1Whence come wars and strifes among you? Come they not hence, even of your passions, which war in your members? 2You desire, and you have not; you kill, and are earnestly desirous of having, and yet you can not obtain; you fight and war, and yet you have not, because you ask not. 3You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your passions. 4Adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friend ship of the world is enmity to God? Whoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is an enemy of God. 5Do you suppose that the scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the Spirit that dwells in us incline to envy? No. 6But he gives more grace. "Wherefore he says: God sets himself against the proud, but gives grace to the lowly.

Drawing Near to God

7Submit yourselves, therefore, to God; resist the devil, and he will flee from you; 8draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded men. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to sorrow. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

11Do not speak evil one of another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law: but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12There is one law-giver that is able to save, and to destroy: who are you that judge another?

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

13Come, now, you that say, Let us go today, or tomorrow, into this city, and remain there a year, and trade, and make gain; 14and yet you know not what will take place tomorrow. For what is your life? Is it not, indeed, a vapor, that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away? 15Instead of that, you ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now you glory in your boastings: all such glorying is evil. 17Therefore, to him that knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.