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1 From where do milchamot (wars) come? What is their goirem (driving force)? And from where come fights among you? Is it not from here, from the ta'avot (lusts) of you warring in your evarim (members)? 2 You lust for something and you do not have it; you kill and you envy and you are not able to obtain. You get involved in machalokot (divisions of dissensions) and fights. You do not have because you fail to daven with your request. 3 Or you make techinot (petitions) and you do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that on your ta'avot (lusts) you may spend what you receive.* 4 No'efot (adulterers)! Do you not have da'as that to have shaichus (closeness, friendship, intimacy) with the Olam Hazeh is eyvah im Hashem(enmity with G-d)? Therefore, whoever chooses to make the Olam Hazeh his Oihev is made an Oyev (Enemy) of Hashem.† 5 Or do you think that in vain the Kitvei Hakodesh attests that Hashem yearns jealously over the Ruach Hakodesh He causes to dwell in us? 6 But He gives all the more Chen v'Chesed! Therefore it says, Hashem LALETZIM HU YALITZ V'LA'ANAYIM YITEN CHEN‡(Hashem opposes the proud mocker but gives grace to the humble). 7 Submit yourselves in mishma'at (obedience) to Hashem. Resist HaSatan, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to Hashem and Hashem will draw near to you. Cleanse your yadayim (hands), you chote'im (sinners)! And purify your levavot, you anashim of double mind!§ 9 Lament and mourn and weep. Let the tzechok (laughter) of you be changed to avelut (mourning), and the simcha of you be turned to tugah (sadness). 10 Be humbled before Hashem and He will exalt you.*
11 Do not speak lashon hora against an Ach b'Moshiach. The one speaking against an Ach b'Moshiach or setting himself up as a shofet (judge) of his Ach b'Moshiach speaks against the Torah and sets himself up as shofet of the Torah. Now if the Torah you judge, you are not Shomrei HaTorah but a shofet. 12 One is the Mekhokek (Law-Giver) and HaShofet (The Judge), the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you, the one who has set yourself up as the shofet of your re'a (neighbor)?
13 Come now, you who say, “Hayom (today) or makhar (tomorrow) we will go into this or that city and we will do business there a year and will sell and make a revach (profit).” 14 Yet you do not even have da'as of what tomorrowʼs “yom” may bring. Look at your life! Are you not an ed (mist), appearing a short time, then indeed disappearing?† 15 Instead of this, you ought to say “Im yirtzeh Hashem” (if the L-rd wills) “we will live, also we will do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your pretensions. All such ravrevanut (boastfulness) is ra'ah (evil, wickedness). 17 To the one having da'as, therefore, knowing to do tov and not doing it, to him it is chet.
* 4:3 Ps 18:41; 66:18 † 4:4 Isa 54:4; Jer 3:20; Hos 2:2-5; 3:1; 9:1 ‡ 4:6 Prov 3:34 § 4:8 Ps 73:28; Zech 1:3; Mal 3:7; Isa 1:16; Ps 24:4; 119:113; Jer 4:14 * 4:10 Job 5:11 † 4:14 Job 7:7; Ps 39:5; 102:3; 144:4; Isa 2:22