¹⁵ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

³ for you are still fleshly. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling^[a] among you, are you not fleshly and behaving according to human inclinations?^(A)

¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. ¹⁵ This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.^{(A) 16} For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.^{(B) 17} But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.^{(C) 18} And the fruit of righteousness^[a] is sown in peace by those who make peace.^(D)

Friendship with the World

4 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? ² You want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. And you covet^[b] something and cannot obtain it, so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.^(E)

²⁶ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

²⁰ For you put up with it when someone makes slaves of you or preys upon you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or gives you a slap in the face.

²⁰ For I fear that when I come I may find you not as I wish and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.^(A)

⁶ Instead, brothers and sisters go to court against one another, and this before the unbelievers.^(A)

⁷ In fact, to have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?^{(B) 8} But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and brothers and sisters at that.

² Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh!^[a](A)