And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. … If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. … Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. … Love … does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

Ec 4:4; Mr 7:20-23; Pi 2:3-4, 1Jh 3:17-18; Ja 2:15-17; 1Pe 2:1, Pr 23:17, 1Co 13:4

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.