James 2
1 My brethren, do not, with respect for persons, be holding the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory.
My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.
2 For, if there enter into your synagogue a man wearing gold rings in gay clothing, and there enter a destitute man also, in soiled clothing, —
For if someone with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor person in filthy clothing also comes in;
3 And ye eye him that hath on the gay clothing, and say, Thou, be sitting here, pleasantly, —and, unto the destitute man, say—Thou, stand, or sit there under my footstool,
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."
4 Would ye not have been led to make distinctions among yourselves, and have become judges with wicked reasonings?
Have you not discriminated among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Hearken! my brethren beloved: —Hath not, God, chosen the destitute in the world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
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?
6 Whereas, ye, have dishonoured the destitute man! Do not, the rich, oppress you? and, themselves, drag you into courts of justice?
But you have dishonored the poor person. Do not the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
7 Do not, they, defame the noble name which hath been invoked upon you?
Do not they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?
8 If ye are, indeed, fulfilling, a royal law, according to the scripture—Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, nobly, are ye doing;
However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You are to love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
9 But, if ye are shewing respect of persons, sin, are ye working, being convicted by the law as transgressors!
But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For, a man who shall keep, the whole law, but shall stumble in one thing, hath become, for all things, liable, —
For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
11 For, he that hath said—Do not commit adultery, hath also said—Do not commit murder, —now, if thou dost not commit adultery, but dost commit murder, thou hast become a transgressor of law.
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.
12 So, be speaking, and, so, doing, as they who, through means of a law of freedom, are about to be judged;
So speak, and so do, as those who are to be judged by a law of freedom.
13 For, the judgment, [will be] without mercy, unto him that hath shewed no mercy: Mercy, boasteth, over judgment.
For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What profit, my brethren, —if one should be saying he hath, faith, but hath not, works; can his faith save him?
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?
15 If, a brother or sister, should be naked, and coming short of the daily food,
And if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and may be lacking in daily food,
16 And one from among you should say unto them—Withdraw in peace, be getting warmed and fed, but should not give them the things needful for the body, What the profit?
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?
17 So, also, faith, if it have not works, is dead, by itself.
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
18 But one will say, —Thou, hast faith, and, I, have works, show me thy faith apart from thy works, and, I, unto thee, will shew, by my works, my faith.
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.
19 Thou believest that God is, one: thou doest, well—Even the demons believe, and shudder!
You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
20 But art thou willing to learn, O empty man! that, faith, apart from works, is, idle?
But do you want to know, foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
21 Abraham our father, was it not, by works, he was declared righteous—when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Thou seest that, his faith, had been working together with his works, and by his works did his faith become full-grown, —
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith—And Abraham believed God, And it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and, God’s friend, was he called:
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.
24 Ye see that—by works, a man is declared righteous, and not by faith alone.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And, in like manner also, Rahab the harlot, Was it not, by works, she was declared righteous, when she gave welcome unto the messengers, and, by another way, urged them forth?
In like manner was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?
26 Just as, the body, apart from spirit, is dead, so, our faith also, apart from works, is dead.
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
