James 4

1 What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

1 مِنْ أَيْنَ النِّزَاعُ وَالْخِصَامُ بَيْنَكُمْ؟ أَلَيْسَ مِنْ لَذَّاتِكُمْ تِلْكَ الْمُتَصَارِعَةِ فِي أَعْضَائِكُمْ؟

2 You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

2 فَأَنْتُمْ تَرْغَبُونَ فِي امْتِلاكِ مَا لَا يَخُصُّكُمْ، لَكِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يَتَحَقَّقُ لَكُمْ، فَتَقْتُلُونَ، وَتَحْسُدُونَ، وَلا تَتَمَكَّنُونَ مِنْ بُلُوغِ غَايَتِكُمْ. وَهَكَذَا تَتَخَاصَمُونَ وَتَتَصَارَعُونَ! إِنَّكُمْ لَا تَمْتَلِكُونَ مَا تُرِيدُونَهُ، لأَنَّكُمْ لَا تَطْلُبُونَهُ مِنَ اللهِ.

3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

3 وَإذَا طَلَبْتُمْ مِنْهُ شَيْئاً، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَحْصُلُونَ عَلَيْهِ: لأَنَّكُمْ تَطْلُبُونَ بِدَافِعٍ شِرِّيرٍ، إِذْ تَنْوُونَ أَنْ تَسْتَهْلِكُوا مَا تَنَالُونَهُ لإِشْبَاعِ شَهْوَاتِكُمْ فَقَطْ.

4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

4 أَيُّهَا الْخَوَنَةُ! أَلَسْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ مُصَادَقَةَ الْعَالَمِ هِيَ مُعَادَاةٌ لِلهِ؟ فَالَّذِي يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُصَادِقَ الْعَالَمَ، يَجْعَلُ نَفْسَهُ عَدُوّاً لِلهِ.

5 Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?

5 أَتَظُنُّونَ أَنَّ الْكِتَابَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَبَثاً! هَلِ الرُّوحُ الَّذِي حَلَّ فِي دَاخِلِنَا يَغَارُ عَنْ حَسَدٍ؟

6 But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

6 لا، بَلْ إِنَّهُ يَجُودُ عَلَيْنَا بِنِعْمَةٍ أَعْظَمَ. لِذَلِكَ يَقُولُ الْكِتَابُ: «إِنَّ اللهَ يُقَاوِمُ الْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يُعْطِي الْمُتَوَاضِعِينَ نِعْمَةً».

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

7 إِذَنْ، كُونُوا خَاضِعِينَ لِلهِ. وَقَاوِمُوا إِبْلِيسَ فَيَهْرُبَ مِنْكُمْ.

8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

8 اقْتَرِبُوا إِلَى اللهِ فَيَقْتَرِبَ إِلَيْكُمْ. أَيُّهَا الْخَاطِئُونَ نَظِّفُوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ، وَيَا أَصْحَابَ الرَّأْيَيْنِ طَهِّرُوا قُلُوبَكُمْ.

9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

9 احْزَنُوا مُوَلْوِلِينَ وَنَائِحِينَ وَبَاكِينَ. لِيَتَحَوَّلْ ضَحِكُكُمْ إِلَى نُوَاحٍ، وَفَرَحُكُمْ إِلَى كَآبَةٍ.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

10 تَوَاضَعُوا فِي حَضْرَةِ الرَّبِّ فَيَرْفَعَكُمْ!

11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

11 وَيَا إِخْوَتِي، لَا تَذُمُّوا بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضاً. فَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ هَذَا وَيَحْكُمْ عَلَى أَخِيهِ، يَطْعَنْ فِي شَرِيعَةِ اللهِ وَيَحْكُمْ عَلَيْهَا. فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَحْكُمُ عَلَى الشَّرِيعَةِ، لَا تَكُونُ عَامِلاً بِها بَلْ تَجْعَلُ نَفْسَكَ قَاضِياً لَهَا.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

12 وَلَيْسَ لِلشَّرِيعَةِ إِلا قَاضٍ وَاحِدٌ، هُوَ اللهُ وَاضِعُهَا، وَهُوَ وَحْدَهُ الْقَادِرُ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بِالْخَلاصِ أَوْ بِالْهَلاكِ. فَمَنْ تَكُونُ أَنْتَ لِتَحْكُمَ عَلَى الآخَرِينَ؟

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”

13 وَأَنْتُمْ، يَا مَنْ تُخَطِّطُونَ قَائِلِينَ: «الْيَوْمَ أَوْ غَداً، نَذْهَبُ إِلَى مَدِينَةِ كَذَا، وَنَقْضِي هُنَاكَ سَنَةً، فَنُتَاجِرُ وَنَرْبَحُ».

14 You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

14 مَهْلاً! فَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْرِفُونَ مَاذَا يَحْدُثُ غَداً! وَمَا هِيَ حَيَاتُكُمْ؟ إِنَّهَا بُخَارٌ، يَظْهَرُ فَتْرَةً قَصِيرَةً ثُمَّ يَتَلاشَى!

15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

15 بَدَلاً مِنْ ذَلِكَ، كَانَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَقُولُوا: «إِنْ شَاءَ الرَّبُّ، نَعِيشُ وَنَعْمَلُ هَذَا الأَمْرَ أَوْ ذَاكَ!»

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

16 وَإلَّا، فَإِنَّكُمْ تَفْتَخِرُونَ مُتَكَبِّرِينَ. وَكُلُّ افْتِخَارٍ كَهَذَا، هُوَ افْتِخَارٌ رَدِيءٌ.

17 Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

17 فَمَنْ يَعْرِفْ أَنْ يَعْمَلَ الصَّوَابَ، وَلا يَعْمَلُهُ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُحْسَبُ لَهُ خَطِيئَةً.