Jacob 2
1 My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus (the) Messiah of glory with partiality.
My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
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 a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
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 lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,”
4 Have you not discriminated among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
have you not discriminated among yourselves and 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: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised 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 and drag you into court?
7 Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
Are they not the ones who blaspheme the noble 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 you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
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 He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but 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.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.
13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. 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 claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 And if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and may be lacking in daily food,
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
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?
If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, 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.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 But do you want to know, foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?
21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;
You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.
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.
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited 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.
As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.
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, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
