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¹ Whence is it, that there are among you fightings and broils? Is it not from the lusts, which war in your members?² Ye covet, and possess not; and ye kill, and envy, and effect nothing: and ye fight and make attacks; and ye have not, because ye ask not.³ Ye ask, and receive not; because ye ask wickedly, that ye may pamper your lusts.⁴ Ye adulterers, know ye not, that the love of the world is hostility towards God? He therefore who chooseth to be a lover of this world, is the enemy of God.⁵ Or think ye, that the scripture hath vainly said: The spirit dwelling in us lusteth with envy?⁶ But our Lord hath given us more grace. Therefore he said: The Lord humbleth the lofty, and giveth grace to the lowly.⁷ Subject yourselves therefore to God; and stand firm against Satan, and he will flee from you.⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: sanctify your hearts, ye divided in mind.⁹ Humble yourselves, and mourn: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into grief.¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹ Speak not against each other, my brethren; for he that speaketh against his brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law. And if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but its judge.¹² There is one Law-giver and Judge, who can make alive, and [fn] destroy: but who art thou, that thou judgest thy neighbor? ¹³ But what shall we say of those, who say: To-day or to-morrow we will go to such or such a city, and will abide there a year; and we will traffic, and get gain?¹⁴ And they know not what will be to-morrow: for what is our life, but an exhalation that is seen a little while, and then vanisheth and is gone?¹⁵ Whereas they should say: If the Lord please, and we live, we will do this or that.¹⁶ They glory in their vaunting. All such glorying is evil.¹⁷ He that knoweth the good, and doeth it not, to him is sin.