雅各书 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
邪恶的舌头
3 我的弟兄姊妹，不要个个当教师，因为你们知道，我们为人师表的将受到更严格的评判， 2 因为我们在许多方面难免有过失。如果谁在言语上没有过失，他就是纯全的人，也能在各方面保持自制。 3 我们如果把嚼环放在马嘴里，便可以使它顺服，驾驭它。 4 一艘大船在遭遇暴风吹袭时，船身虽然庞大，但舵手只要操纵一个小小的舵，就能随意驾驶它。
5 同样，人的舌头虽然很小，却能说夸大的话。
看啊，小火星能点燃大森林。 6 舌头就是火，是我们身体上的一个充满邪恶的世界，能玷污人的全身，足以毁掉人的一生，它是从地狱点燃的火。 7 自然界中的各类走兽、飞禽、爬虫、水族都可以被驯服，也已经被人类驯服了， 8 但无人能驯服自己的舌头，因为舌头是个无法控制的邪恶之物，充满了致命的毒气。 9 我们用舌头来赞美主和天父，也用舌头来咒诅照着上帝的形象被造的人。 10 赞美和咒诅竟然从同一张嘴里发出来。我的弟兄姊妹，这是不应该的！ 11 同一个泉源能涌出甜苦两样水吗？ 12 我的弟兄姊妹，无花果树能结出橄榄吗？葡萄树能结出无花果吗？一个咸水泉必流不出甜水来。
天上的智慧
13 你们当中谁是有智慧、有见识的呢？请他带着来自智慧的谦和，在善行上表现出来。 14 但如果你们心怀苦毒的嫉妒和自私的野心，就不要自夸说有智慧，也不要违背真理去撒谎。 15 这种智慧并非来自天上，而是从世俗、私欲和魔鬼来的。 16 哪里有嫉妒和自私的野心，哪里就会有混乱和各样的恶事。
17 但从天上来的智慧首先是纯洁，然后是爱好和平、温良柔顺、充满怜悯、多结善果、不存偏见、没有虚伪。 18 使人和睦的人撒下和平的种子，必收获仁义的果实。
Jacques 3
La Bible du Semeur
Dompter sa langue
3 Mes amis, ne soyez pas nombreux à enseigner ; vous le savez : nous qui enseignons, nous serons jugés plus sévèrement.
2 Car chacun de nous commet des fautes de bien des manières. Celui qui ne commet jamais de faute dans ses paroles est un homme parvenu à l’état d’adulte, capable de maîtriser aussi son corps tout entier.
3 Quand nous mettons un mors dans la bouche des chevaux, pour qu’ils nous obéissent, nous dirigeons aussi tout leur corps. 4 Pensez encore aux bateaux : même s’il s’agit de grands navires et s’ils sont poussés par des vents violents, il suffit d’un tout petit gouvernail pour les diriger au gré du pilote. 5 Il en va de même pour la langue : c’est un petit organe, mais elle se vante de grandes choses. Ne suffit-il pas d’un petit feu pour incendier une vaste forêt ? 6 La langue aussi est un feu ; c’est tout un monde de mal. Elle est là, parmi les autres organes de notre corps, et contamine notre être entier. Allumée au feu de l’enfer, elle enflamme toute notre existence.
7 L’homme est capable de dompter toutes sortes de bêtes sauvages, d’oiseaux, de reptiles, d’animaux marins, et il les a effectivement domptées. 8 Mais la langue, aucun homme ne peut la dompter. C’est un fléau impossible à maîtriser ; elle est pleine d’un venin mortel.
9 Nous nous en servons pour louer le Seigneur, notre Père, et nous nous en servons aussi pour maudire les hommes, pourtant créés de sorte qu’ils lui ressemblent[a]. 10 De la même bouche sortent bénédiction et malédiction ! Mes frères et sœurs, il ne faut pas qu’il en soit ainsi. 11 Avez-vous déjà vu de l’eau douce et de l’eau salée jaillir d’une même source par la même ouverture ? 12 Un figuier, frères et sœurs, peut-il porter des olives, ou une vigne des figues ? Une source salée ne peut pas non plus donner de l’eau douce.
La sagesse qui vient d’en haut
13 Y a-t-il parmi vous quelqu’un de sage et d’expérimenté ? Qu’il en donne la preuve par sa bonne conduite, c’est-à-dire par des actes empreints de l’humilité qui caractérise la véritable sagesse. 14 Mais si votre cœur est plein d’amère jalousie, si vous êtes animés d’un esprit querelleur, il n’y a vraiment pas lieu de vous vanter ; ce serait faire entorse à la vérité.
15 Une telle sagesse ne vient certainement pas du ciel, elle est de ce monde, de l’homme sans Dieu, elle est démoniaque. 16 Car là où règnent la jalousie et l’esprit de rivalité, là aussi habitent le désordre et toutes sortes de pratiques indignes. 17 Au contraire, la sagesse qui vient d’en haut est en premier lieu pure ; de plus, elle aime la paix, elle est modérée et conciliante, pleine de compassion ; elle produit beaucoup de bons fruits, elle est sans parti pris et sans hypocrisie.
18 Ceux qui travaillent à la paix sèment dans la paix une semence qui produira un fruit conforme à ce qui est juste.
Footnotes
- 3.9 Voir Gn 1.26-27.
James 3
New English Translation
The Power of the Tongue
3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters,[a] because you know that we will be judged more strictly.[b] 2 For we all stumble[c] in many ways. If someone does not stumble[d] in what he says,[e] he is a perfect individual,[f] able to control the entire body as well. 3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies.[g] 4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. 5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body,[h] yet it has great pretensions.[i] Think[j] how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents[k] the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It[l] pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence—and is set on fire by hell.[m]
7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature[n] is subdued and has been subdued by humankind.[o] 8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless[p] evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord[q] and Father, and with it we curse people[r] made in God’s image. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.[s] 11 A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? 12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters,[t] or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.
True Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings.[u] 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such[v] wisdom does not come[w] from above but is earthly, natural,[x] demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating,[y] full of mercy and good fruit,[z] impartial, and not hypocritical.[aa] 18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness[ab] is planted[ac] in peace among[ad] those who make peace.
Footnotes
- James 3:1 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
- James 3:1 tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”
- James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
- James 3:2 tn Or “fail.”
- James 3:2 tn Grk “in speech.”
- James 3:2 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anēr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).
- James 3:3 tn Grk “their entire body.”
- James 3:5 tn Grk “a small member.”
- James 3:5 tn Grk “boasts of great things.”
- James 3:5 tn Grk “Behold.”
- James 3:6 tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”
- James 3:6 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
- James 3:6 sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2; 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).
- James 3:7 tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”
- James 3:7 tn Grk “the human species.”
- James 3:8 tc Most mss (C Ψ 1611 1739c 1244 M as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatascheton), while most of the more significant witnesses (א A B K P 1175 1243 1735 1739* latt co) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. In a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastatos) was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is deemed more likely to be the initial reading.
- James 3:9 tc Most later mss (M), along with several versional witnesses, have θεόν (theon, “God”) here instead of κύριον (kurion, “Lord”). Such is a predictable variant since nowhere else in the NT is God described as “Lord and Father,” but he is called “God and Father” on several occasions. Further, the reading κύριον is well supported by early and diversified witnesses (P20 א A B C P Ψ 33 81 945 1241 1739), rendering it as the overwhelmingly preferred reading.
- James 3:9 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anthrōpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.
- James 3:10 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
- James 3:12 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
- James 3:13 tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”
- James 3:15 tn Grk “This.”
- James 3:15 tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”
- James 3:15 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.
- James 3:17 tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”
- James 3:17 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”
- James 3:17 tn Or “sincere.”
- James 3:18 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
- James 3:18 tn Grk “is sown.”
- James 3:18 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”
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