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James 3 (Ya’akov) in Greek, Hebrew and English

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Keter · Brit Hadashah (New Testament) · Read James in Greek, Hebrew and English, one chapter per page. The Keter is our name for the Brit Hadashah, the New Testament.

Keter · Brit Hadashah (New Testament) · James 3:1–18

James, Chapter 3

יעקב ג

Ya’akov warns that not many should be teachers, and shows how the tongue, though a little member, is like a bit, a helm and a fire that no man can tame. He contrasts earthly wisdom, full of envying and strife, with the pure and peaceable wisdom that is from above.

3:1My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Μὴ πολλοὶ διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί μου, εἰδότες ὅτι μεῖζον κρίμα ληψόμεθα.

א–באחים יקרים, אל תמהרו למתוח ביקורת של מעשיהם של אחרים, שכן כולנו טועים ושוגים לעתים תכופות; וכאשר אנחנו, מוריכם, טועים ואיננו משמשים לכם דוגמה טובה, עונשנו יהיה חמור הרבה יותר מעונשם של אחרים. מי שיכול לשלוט בלשונו מוכיח שיש לו שליטה מלאה על התנהגותו ומעשיו.

Taming the tongue

3:2For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

πολλὰ γὰρ πταίομεν ἅπαντες. εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνήρ, δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα.

ב(כלול בפסוק א)

3:3Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

ἰδού, τῶν ἵππων τοὺς χαλινοὺς εἰς τὰ στόματα βάλλομεν πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν μετάγομεν.

גבאמצעות הרסן שבפי הסוס יכולים אנו לשלוט בכל גופו,

3:4Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor lists.

ἰδοὺ, καὶ τὰ πλοῖα, τηλικαῦτα ὄντα καὶ ὑπὸ σκληρῶν ἀνέμων ἐλαυνόμενα, μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου, ὅπου ἂν ἡ ὁρμὴ τοῦ εὐθύνοντος βούληται.

דהגה קטן שולט באנייה גדולה, ועל־אף גלים סוערים ורוח חזקה, יכול ההגה להוביל את האנייה לכל מקום שירצה רב החובל.

3:5Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!

οὕτω καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα μικρὸν μέλος ἐστὶ, καὶ μεγάλαυχεῖ. ἰδοὺ, ὀλίγον πῦρ ἡλίκην ὕλην ἀνάπτει.

הגם הלשון היא איבר קטן, אך עלולה לגרום נזק רב, כשם שניצוץ אש מסוגל להצית יער שלם.

3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας· οὕτως ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα, καὶ φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως, καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης.

והלשון היא להבת אש, מלאה זדון ורשע ומרעילה את אופיינו. הלשון בוערת באש גיהינום ועלולה להביא הרס וכליון על חיינו.

3:7For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and has been tamed of mankind:

πᾶσα γὰρ φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων, δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ·

זאדם יכול לאלף כל מיני חיות, ציפורים, רמשים ודגים,

3:8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀνθρώπων δαμάσαι· ἀκατάσχετον κακόν, μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου.

חאבל איש אינו מסוגל לאלף את הלשון, שמוכנה בכל רגע לשלח חיצי רעל.

3:9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πατέρα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας·

טאותה לשון מברכת ומהללת את אלוהים, ואף מקללת אנשים שונים שנבראו בצלם אלוהים,

3:10Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα. οὐ χρή, ἀδελφοί μου, ταῦτα οὕτω γίνεσθαι.

יכך שמפה אחד יוצאות ברכות וקללות. אחים יקרים, אתם מסכימים איתי שאין זה יאה למאמינים.

3:11Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

μήτι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν;

יאהאם ממעין אחד יכולים לנבוע מים מתוקים ומים מרים?

3:12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι, ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα; οὕτως οὐδεμια πηγὴ ἁλυκὸν καὶ γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ.

יבכשם שאינכם יכולים לקטוף זיתים מעץ תאנה או תאנים מעץ גפן, כך אינכם יכולים לשאוב מים מתוקים ומים מרים ממעין אחד.

Wisdom from above

3:13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conduct his works with meekness of wisdom.

Τίς σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ἐν ὑμῖν; δειξάτω ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν πρᾳΰτητι σοφίας.

יגעל החכמים והנבונים שביניכם להוכיח את חכמתם במעשים טובים שייעשו בצניעות ובענווה.

3:14But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

εἰ δὲ ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν, μὴ κατακαυχᾶσθε καὶ ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας.

ידאם לבכם מר עליכם, הקנאה אוכלת אתכם ואתם רוצים לריב עם הזולת, אל תנסו לשקר ולהתפאר בחכמתכם ובטוב־לבכם.

3:15This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ σοφία ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη, ἀλλ’ ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης.

טושכן קנאה ומריבה אינם ”חכמה“ שמעניק האלוהים, אלא ”חכמת“ העולם שניתנת על־ידי השטן בכבודו ובעצמו.

3:16For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

ὅπου γὰρ ζῆλος καὶ ἐριθεία, ἐκεῖ ἀκαταστασία καὶ πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα.

טזבכל מקום שיש קנאה או מריבה, יש גם אי־סדר ומעשי שטן למיניהם.

3:17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

ἡ δὲ ἄνωθεν σοφία πρῶτον μὲν ἁγνή ἐστιν, ἔπειτα εἰρηνική, ἐπιεικής, εὐπειθής, μεστὴ ἐλέους καὶ καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀδιάκριτος καὶ ἀνυπόκριτος.

יזלעומת זאת, החכמה שמעניק האלוהים היא טהורה, עדינה, רודפת־שלום, מנומסת, ותרנית, מלאת רוך, כנה, רצינית, וניתנת מכל הלב.

3:18And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

καρπὸς δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται τοῖς ποιοῦσιν εἰρήνην.

יחשוחרי השלום, שזורעים ברוח של שלום, יקצרו יבול של צדק ואמת.

Quiz time · 10 questions

How well do you know James 3?

Read the chapter, then pick the best answer for each question. You will see right away if you got it right. When you have answered every question, your score shows here and at the end of the quiz. To try again, press Start over.

0 of 10 answered
1In verse 3, what do we put in horses’ mouths to turn their whole body?

2In verse 5, how much can a little fire kindle?

3According to verses 7–8, what can no man tame?

4In verse 12, what can a fig tree not bear?

5In verse 17, what is the wisdom that is from above first?

6According to verse 1, why should not many become teachers?

7In verse 9, we curse men with the same tongue we bless God with. Why is cursing men so wrong, according to that verse?

8In verse 11, Ya’akov asks if a fountain can send out sweet water and bitter from the same place. What does verse 10 say this picture teaches?

9In chapter 1, Ya’akov said a man who does not bridle his tongue has vain religion. According to verse 2, what can a man who does not offend in word also do?

10According to verse 18, how is the fruit of righteousness sown?

Your answers and score are saved on this device only, so they will be here when you come back. Press Start over to clear them.

Sources & method

English translation
The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated, and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places with Hebrew names carry them, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yeshua (Jesus)); Greek and Roman names keep their English form. Christ is “Messiah”; Lord, used of Yeshua, is “Master”; where the Greek has Kyrios for God, the English keeps “the Lord.” “Church” is “congregation,” “baptize” is “immerse,” and the Holy Ghost is “the Holy Spirit.”
Greek text
The Textus Receptus as edited by F. H. A. Scrivener (1894), the Greek text that underlies the King James Version (public domain).
Hebrew text
The Open Hebrew Living New Testament, a modern Hebrew translation, copyright © 1979, 2009 by Biblica, Inc., used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. The original work by Biblica, Inc. is available for free at www.biblica.com and open.bible. Changes: shown verse by verse beside the English and Greek, without its section headings and footnotes; where it joins verses, the later verse points to the joined one; 3 John 15 is shown with verse 14. Our arrangement of this Hebrew text is shared under the same licence. Where the Greek has Kyrios for God, this translation writes ה׳ (Hashem), not the sacred name.
Quotations
A note under a verse links each quotation from the Tenakh to our Tenakh chapter page. Those pages follow the Hebrew Bible’s verse numbers; where they differ from the King James numbers, both are given.
Quiz
Written by Benei Avraham for middle-school readers (ages 11–14). Each quiz starts with easier questions and gets harder. Every answer is in the chapter on this page. Answers and scores are kept only in this browser (local storage) and can be cleared with Start over.
Fonts
Noto Serif and Noto Serif Hebrew, by Google (SIL Open Font License).