James 2
1 My friends, as trusting believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you must not show favoritism.
Bazalwane bami, njengabakholwayo eNkosini yethu elenkazimulo uJesu Khristu, lingabandlululi.
2 Imagine that a man comes into your synagogue wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and then a poor man comes in dressed in rags.
Kasithi umuntu ufika emhlanganweni wenu egqize indandatho yegolide, egqoke lezigqoko ezinhle, besekungena umyanga egqoke izigqoko ezinithizelayo.
3 If you pay special attention to the well-dressed man, and say, “Please sit here in a seat of honor,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit on the floor by my feet,”
Nxa limnaka kakhulu lowo ogqoke izigqoko ezinhle lithi kuye, “Nansi isihlalo esingcono,” kodwa kongumyanga lithi, “Wena mana laphayana,” kumbe lithi, “Hlala phansi eduze kwezinyawo zami,”
4 haven't you discriminated and judged with bad motives?
Kambe kalibandlululanga njalo laba ngabahluleli abalemicabango emibi na?
5 Listen, my dear friends: Didn't God choose those who the world considers poor to be rich in their trust in him, and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?
Lalelani, bazalwane bami abathandekayo: Kanti uNkulunkulu kabakhethanga yini labo abangabayanga emehlweni omhlaba ukuba babengabanothileyo ekukholweni kanye lokudla ilifa lombuso awuthembisa labo abamthandayo na?
6 But you've treated the poor shamefully. Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you before the courts?
Kodwa lina libathukile abayanga. Abanothileyo akusibo yini abadinga inzuzo ngani? Akusibo yini abalihudulela emithethwandaba?
7 Don't they insult the honorable name of the one who called you and to whom you belong?
Akusibo yini abahlambaza ibizo lobukhosi elalowo lina elingabakhe na?
8 If you really observe the royal law of Scripture: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” then you do well.
Nxa liwugcina sibili umthetho wobukhosi otholakala eMbhalweni othi, “Thanda umakhelwane wakho njengalokhu uzithanda,” lenza okulungileyo.
9 But if you show favoritism, you're sinning. The law convicts you as guilty of breaking it.
Kodwa nxa libandlulula lenza isono njalo lilahlwa ngumthetho njengabephuli bomthetho.
10 Someone who observes everything in the law but fails in just one part is guilty of breaking it all.
Ngoba loba ngubani ogcina umthetho wonke, kodwa akhubeke endaweni eyodwa, ulecala lokuwephula wonke.
11 God told you not to commit adultery, and he also told you not to kill. So if you don't commit adultery, but you do kill, you've become a law-breaker.
Ngoba yena owathi, “Ungafebi,” wathi futhi, “Ungabulali.” Nxa ungafebi, kodwa ubulala, usube yisaphulamthetho.
12 You should speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom.
Khulumani njalo lenze njengalabo abazakwahlulelwa ngumthetho onika ukukhululeka,
13 Anyone who doesn't show mercy will be judged without mercy. Yet mercy wins out over judgment!
ngoba ukwahlulela okungelasihawu kuzakuba kulowo obengelasihawu. Isihawu sinqoba ukwahlulela!
14 My friends, what's the good of someone saying they trust in God when they don't do what's good and right? Can such “trust” save them?
Kusizani bazalwane bami, nxa umuntu esithi ulokholo kodwa engelazenzo? Ukholo olunjalo lungamsindisa na?
15 If a brother or sister doesn't have clothes, or food for the day,
Kasithi umfowenu loba udadewenu kalazigqoko lokudla kwansukuzonke.
16 and you say to them, “Blessings on you! Stay warm and have a good meal!” and you don't provide what they need to survive, what's the good of that?
Nxa omunye wenu esithi kuye, “Hamba, ngikufisela okuhle; hlala ufudumala njalo usutha,” kodwa angenzi lutho ngalezi zinswelo zakhe zomzimba, kusizani na?
17 By itself even your trust-based faith in God is dead and worthless if you don't actually do what's good and right.
Ngokunjalo, ukukholwa nje kuphela, nxa kungelamisebenzi kufile.
18 Someone may argue, “You have your trust in God; I have my good deeds.” Well, show me your trust in God without good deeds, and I will show you my trust in God by my good deeds!
Kodwa omunye uzakuthi, “Wena ulokukholwa; mina ngilezenzo.” Ngitshengisa ukukholwa kwakho kungelazenzo, njalo mina ngizakutshengisa ukukholwa kwami ngalokho engikwenzayo.
19 You believe that God is one God? That's great—but demons believe in God too, and they're scared of him!
Uyakholwa ukuthi kuloNkulunkulu oyedwa. Kulungile! Lamadimoni ayakukholwa lokhu njalo ayathuthumela.
20 You foolish people! Don't you know that trust in God without doing what's right is worthless?
Wena ndoda eyisiwula, ufuna ubufakazi bokuthi ukukholwa okungelamisebenzi kuyize na?
21 Wasn't our father Abraham made right by what he did—by offering his son Isaac on the altar?
Kanje ukhokho wethu u-Abhrahama kabalwanga njengolungileyo ngenxa yalokhu akwenzayo lapho anikela indodana yakhe u-Isaka e-alithareni na?
22 You notice that his trust in God worked together with what he did, and through what he did his trust in God was made complete.
Liyabona ukuthi ukukholwa kwakhe lezenzo zakhe kwakusebenza ndawonye, njalo ukukholwa kwakhe kwapheleliswa yilokho akwenzayo.
23 In this way scripture was fulfilled: “Abraham trusted God, and this was considered as him doing right,” and he was called the friend of God.
Njalo umbhalo wagcwaliseka othi, “U-Abhrahama wakholwa uNkulunkulu, njalo kwabalwa kuye njengokulunga,” njalo wabizwa ngokuthi ngumngane kaNkulunkulu.
24 You see that people are made right by what they do, and not just by trusting God.
Liyabona ukuthi umuntu ulungiswa yilokho akwenzayo hatshi ngokukholwa kuphela.
25 In the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute made right by what she did when she looked after the messengers and then sent them away by a different road?
Ngokunjalo, loRahabi isifebe konje kabalwanga njengolungileyo ngalokho akwenzayo lapho anika inhloli indawo yokulala wabuya wazikhupha ngenye indlela na?
26 Just as the body is dead without the spirit, trust in God is dead if you don't do what's right.
Njengoba umzimba ongelamoya ufile, ngokunjalo ukukholwa okungelamisebenzi kufile.
