Friendship with the World
1 Why do you fight and argue with each other? Isn't it because you are full of selfish desires that fight to control your body? 2 You want something you don't have, and you will do anything to get it. You will even kill! But you still cannot get what you want, and you won't get it by fighting and arguing. You should pray for it. 3 Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons.
4 You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”? 6 In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,
“God opposes everyone
who is proud,
but he blesses all who are humble
with undeserved grace.”
7 Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind. 9 Be sad and sorry and weep. Stop laughing and start crying. Be gloomy instead of glad. 10 Be humble in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.
Saying Cruel Things about Others
11 My friends, don't say cruel things about others! If you do, or if you condemn others, you are condemning God's Law. And if you condemn the Law, you put yourself above the Law and refuse to obey either it 12 or God who gave it. God is our judge, and he can save or destroy us. What right do you have to condemn anyone?
Warning against Bragging
13 You should know better than to say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!” 14 What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. 15 You should say, “If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things.” 16 Yet you are stupid enough to brag, and it is wrong to be so proud. 17 If you don't do what you know is right, you have sinned.
Omaronga kokusuvera oviṋa vyouye na kokuritongamisa
1 Ovirwa vyeṋu avihe nozombata vi za pi? Vi za mozonḓuma zeṋu zeraru nḓe zungana aruhe moukoto weṋu. 2 Eṋe mu zera oviṋa, nungwari kamaamu vi munu ko, notji mu vanga okuzepa; eṋe mu ṱira oviṋa vyovakweṋu eruru, nungwari kamu nakuvipewa ko, notji mu posa nokurwa. Ihi tji mu vanga kamu pewa, tjinga amu ha kumbu ku Ndjambi. 3 Tji mu kumba, kamu pewa, tjinga amu kumba navi; eṋe mu kumbira oviṋa okukovisa na vyo ozonḓero zeṋu porwazo. 4 Kamu nokutjiwa are, eṋe vehinouṱakame, kutja okurira epanga rouye oko okurira omunavita na Ndjambi? Ingwi ngu ma vanga okurira epanga rouye me ritjiti omuini omunavita na Ndjambi. 5 Amu tjangovasi kamu nouatjiri momatjangwa ngu maye tja: “Ombepo Ndjambi ndja turisa mu eṱe, eye omuini ma vanga kutja i rire oye erike.” 6 Nungwari otjari Ndjambi tje yandja otjo otjinene komeho. Nomatjangwa opu maye tjere nai: “Ndjambi ma pirukire overitongamise, nungwari imba overisusuparise meve ṱire otjari.”
7 Notji mamu sokuriwisa kehi ya Ndjambi; pirukireye Satan, neye ma tupuka a zu po pu eṋe. 8 Indjeye ku Ndjambi, neye meya ku eṋe. Rikoheye omake, eṋe vanauvi! Rikohororeye omitima, vanatjavivi! 9 Riyarikaṋeye nondjenda, rireye nu mu kare noruhoze! Omayorero weṋu ngaye tjituke omaririro, nenyando reṋu ri tjituke oruhoze! 10 Risusupariseye komurungu wa Muhona, neye me mu tongamisa.
Amu hungirasana navi
11 Vakwetu, amu hungirasana navi. Ingwi ngu ma hungire omukambure omukwao navi poo ngu me mu pangura, eye ma hungire inga omatwako navi nokuyepangura. Tji mo pangura Omatwako, ove ko nakutjikara nonḓuviro kOmatwako nga, nungwari mo ritjindi aayo oove omupangure wawo. 12 Ndjambi erike porwe onguri omuzikamise wOmatwako nongu ri omupangure. Eye erike ongu yama nongu nyona. Nu mo tjangovasi oovyaṋi ngu mo pangura omukweṋu?
Okuhinakurihiva
13 Nambano purateneye ku ami, eṋe mbu mu tja: “Ndinondi poo muhuka matu i kotjihuro tjorive atu kakara ko oure wombura imwe okukaranda nokukarandisa kutja tu nyanyangizire po ovimariva ovingi.” 14 Eṋe nandarire nao kamu nokutjiwa kutja muhuka mape kara vi! Ongarero yeṋu ya sana nomuise mbu munika okaruveze okaṱiṱi, nu tjazumba au zengi. 15 Ihi eṋe tji mwa sokuhungira otjo hi: “Muhona tja vanga, tji tu ha ṱire, matu tjiti ihi poo hi na.” 16 Nungwari nambano mamu ritongamisa nokurihiva; omerihiviro nga aehe oposyo.
17 Nomundu ngu ma tjiwa okutjita otjiṋa otjiwa ne he tji tjiti, eye omunandjo.
