James 2
1 My brethren, haue not the faith of our glorious Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 For if there come into your company a man with a golde ring, and in goodly apparell, and there come in also a poore man in vile raiment,
Suppose a visitor should enter your synagogue, with gold rings and in grand clothes, and suppose a poor man should come in also, in shabby clothes,
3 And ye haue a respect to him that weareth the gaie clothing; and say vnto him, Sit thou here in a goodly place, and say vnto the poore, Stand thou there, or sit here vnder my footestoole,
and you show more respect to the visitor who is wearing grand clothes, and say – ‘There is a good seat for you here,’ but to the poor man – ‘You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool,’
4 Are yee not partiall in your selues, and are become iudges of euill thoughts?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Hearken my beloued brethren, hath not God chosen the poore of this worlde, that they should be rich in faith, and heires of the kingdome which he promised to them that loue him?
Listen, my dear friends. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich through their faith, and to possess the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?
6 But ye haue despised the poore. Doe not the riche oppresse you by tyrannie, and doe not they drawe you before the iudgement seates?
But you – you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you? Isn’t it they who drag you into law courts?
7 Doe nor they blaspheme the worthie Name after which yee be named?
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 But if yee fulfill the royall Lawe according to the Scripture, which saith, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe, yee doe well.
If you keep the royal law which runs – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself,” you are doing right;
9 But if yee regarde the persons, yee commit sinne, and are rebuked of the Lawe, as transgressours.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 For whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Lawe, and yet faileth in one poynt, hee is guiltie of all.
For a person who has laid the Law, as a whole, to heart, but has failed in one particular, is accountable for breaking all its provisions.
11 For he that saide, Thou shalt not commit adulterie, saide also, Thou shalt not kill. Nowe though thou doest none adulterie, yet if thou killest, thou art a transgressour of the Lawe.
He who said “You must not commit adultery” also said “You must not murder.” If, then, you commit murder but not adultery, you are still an offender against the Law.
12 So speake ye, and so doe, as they that shall be iudged by the Lawe of libertie.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 For there shalbe condemnation merciles to him that sheweth not mercie, and mercie reioyceth against condemnation.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 What auaileth it, my brethren, though a man saith he hath faith, when he hath no workes? can that faith saue him?
My friends, what good is it if someone claims that they have faith, but they do not prove it by actions? Can such faith save them?
15 For if a brother or a sister bee naked and destitute of daily foode,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 And one of you say vnto them, Depart in peace: warme your selues, and fil your bellies, notwithstading ye giue them not those things which are needefull to the body, what helpeth it?
and one of you says to them – ‘Go, and peace be with you; keep warm and eat well!’ and yet you do not actually give them the necessities of life, what good would it be to them?
17 Euen so the faith, if it haue no woorkes, is dead in it selfe.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I haue woorkes: shewe me thy faith out of thy woorkes, and I will shewe thee my faith by my woorkes.
Someone, indeed, may say – ‘You are a man of faith, and I am a man of action.’ ‘Then show me your faith,’ I reply, ‘apart from any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.’
19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God: thou doest well: the deuils also beleeue it, and tremble.
It is a part of your faith, is it not, that there is one God? Good; yet even the demons have that faith, and tremble at the thought.
20 But wilt thou vnderstand, O thou vaine man, that the faith which is without workes, is dead?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes, when he offred Isaac his sonne vpon the altar?
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his workes? and through the workes was the faith made perfect.
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which sayeth, Abraham beleeued God, and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse: and hee was called the friende of God.
and that in this way the words of scripture came true – ‘Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness,’ and ‘He was called the friend of God.’
24 Ye see then howe that of workes a man is iustified, and not of faith onely.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes, when she had receiued ye messengers, and sent them out another way?
Wasn’t it the same with the prostitute, Rahab? Was she not justified by her actions, after she had welcomed the messengers and helped them escape by another road?
26 For as the body without ye spirit is dead, euen so the faith without workes is dead.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
