Yakobus 3:13--4:3

True Wisdom

3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. ¹  3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 3:15 Such ²  wisdom does not come ³  from above but is earthly, natural, ⁴  demonic. 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ⁵  full of mercy and good fruit, ⁶  impartial, and not hypocritical. ⁷  3:18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness ⁸  is planted ⁹  in peace among ¹⁰  those who make peace.

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ¹¹  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ¹²  from your passions that battle inside you? ¹³  4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 4:3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.

[3:13]  ¹ tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”

[3:15]  ² tn Grk “This.”

[3:15]  ³ tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”

[3:15]  ⁴ tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.

[3:17]  ⁵ tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

[3:17]  ⁶ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

[3:17]  ⁷ tn Or “sincere.”

[3:18]  ⁸ tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.

[3:18]  ⁹ tn Grk “is sown.”

[3:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ¹² tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”