1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 11Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. 17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
不要與世俗為友
1你們彼此衝突、互相鬥毆的起因是什麼呢？不就是你們身體中不斷交戰的慾望嗎？ 2你們貪心，得不到就去殺人。你們嫉妒，得不到就爭吵、打鬥。你們得不到是因為你們不向上帝祈求。 3你們求也得不到是因為你們動機不純，只求享樂和滿足自己的慾望。 4你們這些對主不忠的人啊，難道還不明白與世俗為友就是與上帝爲敵嗎？所以，凡是與世俗為友的，都是上帝的敵人。 5聖經上說：「上帝所賜、住在我們心裡的聖靈深願我們完全屬於祂。」你們以為這是空談嗎？ 6但上帝賜給我們更大的恩典，所以聖經上說：「上帝阻擋驕傲的人，恩待謙卑的人。」
7因此，你們要服從上帝，抵擋魔鬼，魔鬼必逃離你們。 8你們親近上帝，上帝就必親近你們。有罪的人啊，洗淨你們的手吧！三心二意的人啊，潔淨你們的心吧！ 9你們要悲傷、憂愁、痛哭，轉歡笑為悲哀，變歡樂為愁苦。 10你們要在主面前謙卑，祂必擢升你們。
不要論斷
11弟兄姊妹，不要彼此批評。批評、論斷弟兄姊妹就等於是批評、論斷律法。如果你論斷律法，你就不是遵行律法的人，而是以審判者自居。 12設立律法和審判人的只有一位，就是能拯救人也能毀滅人的上帝。你是誰，竟然論斷別人呢？
警戒自誇
13你們有些人說：「今天或是明天，我們要往某某城去，在那裡逗留一年半載，做生意賺錢。」 14其實你們根本不知道明天會發生什麼事。你們的生命是什麼呢？你們只不過像一陣霧氣，出現片刻，就無影無蹤了。 15你們只當說：「如果主許可，我們就可以活著，可以做這事或做那事。」 16現在，你們竟敢傲慢自誇，這實屬邪惡。 17所以人若知道善而不去行，就是犯罪。
