Ya'aqub (James) — 4
Drawing Close to YAHUAH
1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Do they not come from the evil desires at war within you?
2 You want what you do not have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you cannot get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you do not have what you want because you did not ask 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH for it.
3 And even when you ask, you did not get it because your motives are all wrong, you want only what will give you pleasure.
4 You adulterers! Do you not realize that your friendship with the world makes you an enemy of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.
5 Do you think the Scriptures mean nothing? The Scriptures say, “The Ruach 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH made to live in us wants us only for Himself.”
6 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH gives favor generously. For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH resists the proud, But gives favor to the humble.”
7 So humble yourselves before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH. Resist ha'shatan, and he will flee from you.
8 Come close to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and the world system.
9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy.
10 You must humble yourselves before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH will lift you up in honor.
Warning against Judging Others
11 Do not speak evil of one another believers of Truth, he who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
Warning about Self-Confidence
13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.”
14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog, it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.
15 What you ought to say is, “If 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.