James 2
1 My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.
My brothers, do not hold to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with favoritism toward certain people.
2 For if someone with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor person in filthy clothing also comes in;
Suppose that someone enters your meeting wearing gold rings and fine clothes, and there also enters a poor man in dirty clothes.
3 and you pay special attention to the one who wears the fine clothing, and say, "Sit here in a good place;" but you tell the poor person, "Stand there," or "Sit by my footstool."
If you look at the person wearing fine clothes and say, “You sit here in a good place,” but you say to the poor man, “You stand over there” or “Sit at my feet,”
4 Have you not discriminated among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
are you not judging among yourselves? Have you not become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?
Listen, my beloved brothers, did not God choose the poor of the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor person. Do not the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
But you have dishonored the poor! Is it not the rich who oppress you? Are they not the ones who drag you to court?
7 Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
Do they not insult the good name by which you have been called?
8 However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You are to love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
But if you favor certain people, you are committing sin, and you are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
For whoever obeys the whole law, except that he stumbles in just a single way, has become guilty of breaking the whole law.
11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
For the one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but if you do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 So speak, and so do, as those who are to be judged by a law of freedom.
So speak and act as those who will be judged by means of the law of freedom.
13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
For judgment comes without mercy to those who have shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
15 And if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and may be lacking in daily food,
Suppose that a brother or sister is badly clothed and lacks food for the day.
16 and one of you tells them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled;" and yet you did not give them the things the body needs, what good is it?
Suppose that one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm and be filled.” If you do not give them the things necessary for the body, what good is that?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
In the same way faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
Yet someone may say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
You believe that there is one God; you do well. But even the demons believe that, and they tremble.
20 But do you want to know, foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Do you want to know, foolish man, that faith without works is useless?
21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;
You see that faith worked with his works, and that by works his faith was fully developed.
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness;" and he was called the friend of God.
The scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
You see that it is by works that a man is justified, and not only by faith.
25 In like manner was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?
In the same way also, was not Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by another road?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
