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, don’t hold the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ 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 a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man 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 him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “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?
haven’t you shown partiality 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. Didn’t 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 man. Don’t 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?
Don’t 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 shall 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 do 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 men who are to be judged by the 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 a man 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 naked and in lack of 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;” yet you didn’t 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.
Yes, a man will 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 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, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
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:
So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted 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 then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.
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 the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when 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.
