Epistula Iacobi, 4

1. Unde bella et unde lites in vobis? Nonne hinc, ex concupi scentiis vestris, quae militant in membris vestris?

1. What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members?

2. Concupiscitis et non habetis; occiditis et zelatis et non potestis adipisci; litigatis et belligeratis. Non habetis, propter quod non postulatis;

2. You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3. petitis et non accipitis, eo quod male petitis, ut in concupiscentiis vestris insumatis.

3. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

4. Adulteri, nescitis quia amicitia huius mundi inimica est Dei? Quicumque ergo voluerit amicus esse saeculi huius, inimicus Dei constituitur.

4. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

5. Aut putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat: “Ad invidiam concupiscit Spiritus, qui inhabitat in nobis?”.

5. Or do you suppose it is in vain that the scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us"?

6. Maiorem autem dat gratiam; propter quod dicit: “Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam”.

6. But he gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7. Subicimini igitur Deo; resistite autem Diabolo, et fugiet a vobis.

7. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

8. Appropiate Deo, et appropinquabit vobis. Emundate manus, peccatores; et purificate corda, duplices animo.

8. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.

9. Miseri estote et lugete et plorate; risus vester in luctum convertatur, et gaudium in maerorem.

9. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection.

10. Humiliamini in conspectu Domini, et exaltabit vos.

10. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

11. Nolite detrahere alterutrum, fratres; qui detrahit fratri, aut qui iudicat fratrem suum, detrahit legi et iudicat legem; si autem iudicas legem, non es factor legis sed iudex.

11. Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

12. Unus est legislator et iudex, qui potest salvare et perdere; tu autem quis es, qui iudicas proximum?

12. There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you that you judge your neighbor?

13. Age nunc, qui dicitis: “Hodie aut crastino ibimus in illam civitatem et faciemus quidem ibi annum et mercabimur et lucrum faciemus”;

13. Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain";

14. qui ignoratis, quae erit in crastinum vita vestra! Vapor enim estis ad modicum parens, deinceps exterminatur;

14. whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

15. pro eo ut dicatis: “Si Dominus voluerit, et vivemus et faciemus hoc aut illud”.

15. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that."

16. Nunc autem gloriamini in superbiis vestris; omnis gloriatio talis maligna est.

16. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

17. Scienti igitur bonum facere et non facienti, peccatum est illi!

17. Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.