Warning against Pride

1Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. 4Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. 5Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying? 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

Drawing Near to God

7Be subject therefore unto God; but 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 doubleminded. 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 exalt you.

11Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbour?

Do Not Boast about Tomorrow

13Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: 14whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. 16But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. 17To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.