Book of Common Prayer

¹³ If any be wise and learned among you, let him show the works of his good living in humility that is coupled with wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, do not be pleased, neither be liars against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, and natural, and devilish. ¹⁶ For where envying and strife are, there is instability and all manner of evil works.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated – full of mercy and good fruits, without judging and without dissimulation. ¹⁸ Yea and the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who maintain peace.

Conflict and fighting come from sensuality and covetousness. The friendship of the world is enmity before God. An exhortation to flee slander and the vanity of this life.

4 Where do conflict and fighting come from among you? Do they not come from the sensuality and covetousness that reign in your members? ² You lust, and have not. You envy, and have indignation, and cannot obtain. You fight and war, and have not because you ask not. ³ You ask and receive not because you ask amiss, even to consume it upon your pleasures.

⁴ You adulterers and women who break matrimony, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity toward God? Whoever will be a friend of the world, is made the enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, the Spirit that dwells in you resists envy, ⁶ but gives more grace?

⁷ Submit yourselves to God. And resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye wavering-minded. ⁹ Suffer afflictions: sorrow ye, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Cast yourselves down before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

¹¹ Do not backbite one another, brethren. He who speaks against his brother, and he who judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not an observer of the law, but a judge. ¹² There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you, to judge another man?

¹² And Pilate answered again and said to them, What will you have me do then with him whom you call the king of the Jews? ¹³ And they cried again, Crucify him! ¹⁴ Pilate said to them, What evil has he done? And they cried the more fervently, Crucify him!

¹⁵ And so Pilate, choosing to appease the people, released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus, when had scourged him, to be crucified.

¹⁶ And the soldiers led him away into the common hall, and called together the whole company. ¹⁷ And they clothed him with purple, and they plaited a crown of thorns and crowned him with it, ¹⁸ and began to pay mock homage to him: Hail, King of the Jews! ¹⁹ And they struck him on the head with a reed, and spat upon him, and kneeled down and worshipped him.

²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. ²¹ And they compelled a man who was passing by, called Simon of Cyrene (who was coming out of the field, and was the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear his cross.