Careful with your tongue!
3
1 Μὴ πολλοὶ διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί μου, εἰδότες ὅτι μεῖζον κρῖμα ληψόμεθα.* 2 Πολλὰ γὰρ πταίομεν ἅπαντες. Εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνήρ, δυνάμενος† χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. 3 Ἴδε,‡ τῶν ἵππων τοὺς χαλινοὺς εἰς τὰ στόματα βάλλομεν πρὸς τὸ§ πείθεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν μετάγομεν. 4 Ἰδοὺ καὶ τὰ πλοῖα· τηλικαῦτα ὄντα καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνέμων σκληρῶν* ἐλαυνόμενα, μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου ὅπου ἂν† ἡ ὁρμὴ τοῦ ἰθύνοντος‡ βούληται.§ 5 Οὕτως καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα μικρὸν μέλος ἐστὶν καὶ μεγαλαυχεῖ.*
Ἰδού, ὀλίγον† πῦρ ἡλίκην ὕλην ἀνάπτει. 6 Καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας, οὕτως‡ ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως, καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς Γεέννης. 7 Πᾶσα γὰρ φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων, δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ. 8 Τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀνθρώπων δαμάσαι§—ἀκατάσχετον* κακόν, μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου. 9 Ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν Θεὸν† καὶ Πατέρα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας. 10 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα. Οὐ χρή, ἀδελφοί μου,‡ ταῦτα οὕτως γίνεσθαι. 11 Μήτι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν;§ 12 Μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι, ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα; Οὕτως* οὐδεμία πηγὴ ἁλυκὸν καὶ† γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ.
True wisdom
True contrasted with demonic
13 Τίς‡ σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ἐν ὑμῖν; Δειξάτω ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν πραΰτητι σοφίας. 14 Εἰ δὲ ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν, μὴ κατακαυχᾶσθε§ καὶ ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας— 15 οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ σοφία* Ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη, ἀλλ᾿† ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης. 16 Ὅπου γὰρ ζῆλος καὶ ἐριθεία, ἐκεῖ ἀκαταστασία καὶ πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα. 17 Ἡ δὲ Ἄνωθεν σοφία πρῶτον μὲν ἁγνή ἐστιν, ἔπειτα εἰρηνική, ἐπιεικής, εὐπειθής, μεστὴ ἐλέους καὶ καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀδιάκριτος καὶ‡ ἀνυπόκριτος. 18 Καρπὸς δὲ§ δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται τοῖς ποιοῦσιν εἰρήνην.
* 3:1 ληψομεθα f35 [97.5%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ λημψομεθα ℵA,B,C [1%] NU ¦ ληψεσθε [1.5%] † 3:2 δυναμενος f35 ℵ [23%] ¦ δυνατος A,B [76.5%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU (two other variants, and ECM lists codex C as ambiguous.) (Is it not more likely that the present participle [unexpected] would be changed to the adjective than vice versa?—but it makes great sense, ‘being able to bridle’.) ‡ 3:3 ιδε f35 [60%] RP,HF,OC,CP ¦ ει δε [38.5%] NU ¦ ιδου [0.5%] TR (ECM lists six uncials as ambiguous, including ℵA,B,C. The variant chosen by NU scarcely makes sense. The και at the beginning of verse 4 presupposes an imperative at the beginning of verse 3.) § 3:3 προς το f35 A (97%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ εις 2 ℵB,C (2.4%) NU ¦ τω (0.6%) * 3:4 ανεμων σκληρων f35 ℵB,C [44%] NU ¦ ~ 21 A [56%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP † 3:4 αν f35 A,C [99.5%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵB [0.5%] NU ‡ 3:4 ιθυνοντος f35 [21%] ¦ ευθυνοντος ℵA,B,C [79%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU (At issue is a mere question of spelling, the first variant being classical Greek. It seems to me more probable that the unfamiliar classical form would be changed to the familiar koine than vice versa [most lexicons don’t even list the classical form].) § 3:4 βουληται f35 A,C [89%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ βουλεται ℵB [10%] NU ¦ βουλοιτο [1%] * 3:5 μεγαλαυχει f35 𝕻20ℵ [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ μεγαλα αυχει A,B,C [5%] NU † 3:5 ολιγον f35 Av,C [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ηλικον ℵB [3%] NU ¦ ολιγων [2%] (The Alexandrian variant goes against James’ argument.) ‡ 3:6 ουτως f35 [83%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 και [8%] ¦ — 𝕻20ℵA,B,C [9%] NU § 3:8 δυναται ανθρωπων δαμασαι f35 (84.1%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ~ 132 ℵA (11.9%) ¦ ~ 312 B,C (1%) NU ¦ 13 (1.4%) ¦ 1 (0.8%) ¦ three other variants plus an ambiguity * 3:8 ακατασχετον f35 C (97.4%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ακαταστατον ℵA,B (2.6%) NU † 3:9 θεον f35 [96%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ κυριον 𝕻20ℵA,B,C [4%] NU (The title used in 1:27 is repeated, and being a repetition it comes with the article.) ‡ 3:10 μου f35 ℵA,B,C [84%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ 1 αγαπητοι [16%] CP § 3:11 γλυκυ και το πικρον f35 ℵA,B,C [85%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ 124 [4%] ¦ 1234 υδωρ [3%] ¦ ~ 4231 [8%] * 3:12 ουτως f35 ℵ [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — A,B,C [3%] NU † 3:12 ουδεμια πηγη αλυκον και f35 [96%] RP,HF,OC,TR(CP) ¦ ουδε αλυκον ℵ [1.6%] ¦ ουτε αλυκον A,B,C [1.8%] NU ¦ three other variants (Who knows what got into the Alexandrians here.) ‡ 3:13 τις f35 ℵA,B,C [90%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ ει 1 [4%] CP ¦ — [6%] § 3:14 κατακαυχασθε rell ¦ καυχασθε A [15%] * 3:15 αυτη η σοφια f35 ℵA,B [84%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ ~ 231 C [10%] ¦ 23 [6%] † 3:15 αλλ f35 𝕻100A,C [99.4%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ αλλα ℵB [0.6%] NU ‡ 3:17 και f35 𝕻100 [90%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵA,B,C [10%] NU § 3:18 δε f35 A,B,C [56.6%] NU ¦ δε της [42%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ δε ο ℵ [0.4%] ¦ — [1%] (The article is inappropriate here. Who knows what motivated whoever added it, but it is a mistake.)