Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Fights And Battles Come From Your Pursuit of Worldly Desires
4 From-what-source are fights and from-what-source are battles among you? Are they not from-here— from your pleasures waging-war in your body-parts? 2 You desire and do not have; you[a] murder. And you are jealous and are not able to obtain; you battle and fight. You do not have because of your not asking! 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask badly[b], in order that you may spend it in connection with your pleasures. 4 Adulterous[c] ones, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes-himself [d] an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture[e] speaks vainly? He yearns jealously for the spirit[f] which He made-to-dwell in us!
But God Gives Grace To The Humble. So Submit To God And Purify Your Hearts
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says [in Prov 3:34], “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. 7 Therefore, submit to God, but resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw-near to God and He will draw-near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded ones. 9 Be miserable[g] and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection[h]. 10 Humble-yourselves[i] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
So Do Not Be Speaking Against Or Judging One Another
11 Do not be speaking-against one another, brothers. The one speaking-against a brother or judging his brother is speaking-against the Law and judging the Law. But if you are judging the Law, you are not a doer of the Law, but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver and Judge— the One being able to save and to destroy. But who are you, the one judging your neighbor?
Do Not Presume To Direct Your Life Apart From God
13 Come now, the ones saying “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such-and-such city and do a year there, and we will do-business and make-a-gain”— 14 who do not know the thing of [j] tomorrow! What is your life? For you are a vapor appearing for a little while, then indeed disappearing!— 15 instead of you saying, “If the Lord wills, we indeed[k] will live and do this or that”. 16 But as-it-is, you are boasting in your pretensions. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one knowing[l] to be doing good and not doing it, to him it is a sin.
Ill-Gotten Riches Will Yield a Treasure of Miseries
5 Come now, rich ones, weep while wailing over your miseries coming-upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have become corroded[m]. And their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored-up treasure[n] in the last days! 4 Behold— the wages of the workers having mowed your fields, the wages having been fraudulently-withheld by you, cry-out. And the outcries of the ones having reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth[o]. 5 You lived-in-luxury upon the earth, and you lived-indulgently[p]. You fattened your hearts in[q] a day of slaughter. 6 You condemned, you murdered the righteous. He does not oppose[r] you!
Be Patient and Endure Hardship Until The Lord Comes
7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold— the farmer waits-for the precious fruit of the land, being-patient with it until it receives the early and late rain. 8 You also be-patient. Establish your hearts, because the coming of the Lord has drawn-near. 9 Do not be groaning against one another, brothers, in order that you may not be judged. Behold— the Judge stands in front of the doors. 10 Take as an example of suffering-hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold— we consider-blessed the ones having endured! You heard of the endurance of Job, and you saw the outcome from the Lord: that the Lord is large-hearted[s] and compassionate.
Above All, Be True To Your Word. Be Praying And Singing-Praise
12 And above all, my brothers, do not be swearing[t]— neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath. But let your yes be yes and your no be no, in order that you may not fall under judgment. 13 Is anyone among you suffering-hardship? Let him be praying. Is anyone cheerful? Let him be singing-praise.
Pray For One Another So That You May Be Healed
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him summon the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, having anointed[u] him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of [v] faith will restore[w] the one being ill, and the Lord will raise him. And if he has committed[x] sins, it will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore be confessing-out[y] your sins to one another, and be praying for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer[z] of a righteous person can-do much while working[aa]. 17 Elijah was a person of-like-nature to us, and he prayed with prayer[ab] that it not rain. And it did not rain upon the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Try To Turn Back Those Who Stray From The Truth
19 My brothers, if anyone among you errs[ac] from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one having turned-back a sinner from the error of his way will save his[ad] soul[ae] from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing