James 2
1 My fellow believers, [because] you trust our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who is glorious/wonderful, stop honoring some people more than others.
ʻE hoku kāinga, ʻoua naʻa mou maʻu ʻi he filifilimānako ki he kakai, ʻae tui ʻa hotau ʻEiki nāunauʻia ko Sisu Kalaisi.
2 [For example], suppose that a person who wears gold rings and fine clothes enters your meeting place. Then suppose that a poor person who wears shabby/ragged clothes also comes in.
He kapau ʻe hū mai ki homou falelotu ha taha ʻoku ai ha mama koula ʻi hono nima, pea ai mo e kofu lelei, pea hū mai foki mo ha taha masiva mo e kofu kovi;
3 And [suppose] that you (show special attention to/treat better) the one who is dressed in fine clothes by saying, “Sit here in this good seat!” and you say to the poor one, “Stand there or sit on the floor [MTY]!”
Pea mou tokangaʻi ia ʻoku ne ʻai ʻae kofu lelei, mo pehē kiate ia, “Nofo koe ki heni ʻi he potu lelei;” kae pehē ki he masiva, “Tuʻu koe ki hena,” pe, “Nofo heni ʻi lalo hoku tuʻungavaʻe:”
4 Then you have obviously [RHQ] caused divisions in the congregation (OR, you are clearly treating one better than the others, and you are using evil [motives/reasons] to ([evaluate people/decide whether people are important or not])).
ʻIkai ʻoku mou filifilimānako ʻiate kimoutolu, pea hoko ai ko e kau fakamaau mahalo kovi?
5 Listen [to me], my fellow believers whom I love: God has chosen [RHQ] poor people whom [unbelievers consider to] possess nothing of value, [so that he might bless them] greatly [because] they trust [in him], and in order that they will enter the place where [he] will rule [MET] [forever]. That is what he has promised to those who love him.
Fanongo, ʻe hoku kāinga ʻofeina, ʻIkai kuo fili ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae masiva ʻoe māmani ke koloaʻia ʻi he tui, pea ko e kau hoko ki he puleʻanga ʻaia kuo ne talaʻofa ki ai kiate kinautolu ʻoku ʻofa kiate ia?
6 But you dishonor the poor people. Think about it! (It is rich people, [not poor people], who are causing you to suffer!/Isn’t it rich people, [not poor people], who are oppressing you?) [RHQ] (It is [the rich people] who forcibly take you to court [to accuse you in front of judges]!/Is it not [the rich people] who forcibly take you to court [to accuse you in front of judges]?) [RHQ]
Ka kuo mou fakamamahiʻi ʻae masiva. ʻIkai ʻoku fakamālohiʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻe he kakai koloaʻia, pea fetoho ʻakimoutolu ki he ngaahi fakamaauʻanga?
7 (And they are the ones who say evil things about Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy [of praise], to whom you belong!/Are they not the ones who say evil things about Jesus Christ, the one who is worthy [of praise], to whom you belong?) [RHQ]
ʻIkai ʻoku nau lauʻikovi ʻae huafa lelei ko ia, ʻaia kuo ui ʻaki ʻakimoutolu?
8 In the Scriptures [God has commanded] each of you to love other people like you love yourself. That commandment was [also given] by [Jesus our] King [MTY]. If you [are loving others], you are doing what is right.
Ko eni, kapau te mou fakamoʻoni ki he fono fakaʻeiki, ʻo fakatatau ki he tohi, “Ke ke ʻofa ki ho kaungāʻapi ʻo hangē pe ko koe,” ʻoku mou fai lelei ai:
9 But if you honor some people more than others, you are (doing wrong/sinning). And because you [do not do what God commanded us to do], he condemns you [PRS] because you disobey his laws.
Ka ʻoka mou ka filifilimānako ki he kakai, ʻoku mou fai angahala ai, pea ʻoku fakahalaia ʻakimoutolu ʻe he fono ko e kau talangataʻa.
10 Do not forget that those who disobey only one of God’s laws, even if they obey all [his other] laws, [God considers them] to be [as guilty as anyone who has disobeyed] all [of] God’s [laws].
He ko ia te ne fai kotoa pē ʻae fono, kae hala ʻi hono meʻa ʻe taha, ʻoku halaia ia ʻi hono meʻa kotoa pē.
11 For example, [God] said, “Do not commit adultery,” but he also said, “Do not murder anyone.” [So] if you [(sg)] do not commit adultery but you [(sg)] murder someone, you [(sg)] have become a person who disobeys [God’s] laws.
He ko ia ia naʻe pehē, “ʻOua naʻa ke tono fefine,” naʻe pehē foki ʻe ia, “ʻOua naʻa ke fakapō.” Ko eni, kapau ʻe ʻikai te ke tono fefine, ka ke fakapō, kuo ke hoko ko e maumau fono.
12 Continually speak and act [toward others] as people should who will be judged {whom [God] will judge} by the law that frees us [from being punished] {[God punishing us]} [for our sins].
Ke pehē pe hoʻomou lea, pea pehē mo hoʻomou ngāue, ʻo taau mo kinautolu ʻe fakamaau ʻaki ʻae fono ʻoe tauʻatāina.
13 [Speak and act like that], because when [God] judges us, he will not act mercifully toward those who do not act mercifully toward others. But when we [are] merciful [to others, we can rejoice], because [our being] merciful [shows] that [we are acting like people whom God] has mercifully saved from being judged (OR, [we can rejoice] because [God] will judge us mercifully).
He ko ia naʻe ʻikai ke fakahā ʻae ʻofa, ʻe maʻu ʻe ia ʻae fakamaau taʻehaʻofa; pea ʻoku fiefia ʻae ʻofa ki he fakamaau.
14 My fellow believers, [there are some people who say], “I believe [in the Lord Jesus Christ],” but they do not do good things [for other people]. (Their saying that will certainly not do them any good!/What good will their saying that do for them?) [RHQ] [God] will certainly not save [people like that who say that they believe, but do not do good things]! [RHQ]
ʻE hoku kāinga, neongo ʻoku pehē ʻe ha taha ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻae tui, ka ʻoku ʻikai ʻi ai mo e ngaahi ngāue, ko e hā hono ʻaonga? ʻE fakamoʻui ia ʻe he tui [pe]?
15 [To illustrate], suppose that fellow believers, either men or women, don’t have enough clothing or food for each day.
Kapau ʻe telefua pea fiekaia ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ha tokoua pe ko e tuofefine,
16 And suppose that one of you says to them, “May [God] bless you and supply the clothing and food that you need!” but you [(sg)] do not give them the things that they need. (That would be no help [to them]!/What help is that [to them]?) [RHQ]
Pea pehē ʻe homou tokotaha ki ai, “ʻAlu ʻo ke fiemālie, pea ke mafana, pea ke mākona:” kae ʻikai siʻi te mou ʻatu ki ai ʻae ngaahi meʻa ʻoku ʻaonga ki he sino; ko e hā hono ʻaonga?
17 Similarly, [those who do] not do good things [to help others, what they have said about] their believing [in Christ] is [as useless] [MET] [as] a dead person [is useless]. They do not [really believe in Christ].
ʻOku pehē foki ʻae tui, kapau ʻoku ʻikai ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi ngāue, ʻoku mate ia, pea ʻoku tuʻu taha pe ia.
18 But someone may say [to me], “[God saves] some people only [because] they trust [in him], and [he saves] others [because] they do good deeds [to people].” [I would answer that person], “[You(sg) cannot] prove to me that people truly trust [in God if] they do not do good things [for others]. But by doing good things [for others] I will prove to you that I truly trust [in God”]
ʻIo, ʻe pehē nai ʻe ha taha, “ʻOku ʻiate au ʻae ngaahi ngāue: fakahā mai kiate au hoʻo tui taʻehanongaahingāue, pea te u fakahā kiate koe ʻa ʻeku tui ʻaki ʻeku ngaahi ngāue.”
19 [Think about it]! You believe that there is only one God, and you are right [to believe that]. But the demons also believe that, but they tremble [with fear because they know that God is going to punish them].
ʻOku ke tui ʻoku ai ʻae ʻOtua pe taha; ko hoʻo fai lelei ia: ʻoku tui foki ʻae kau tēvolo, pea nau tetetete.
20 Also, you foolish person, I will [RHQ] prove to you [(sg)] that [if someone says], “I trust [in God],” but he does not do good things, [what that person says] will not benefit him.
Ka ʻoku ke loto ke ke ʻilo, ʻe tangata vale, ko e tui taʻeʻiai ʻae ngaahi ngāue, ʻoku mate ia?
21 (It was certainly [because of] what our [revered] ancestor Abraham did, when he [prepared to] sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered [by God] {that [God] considered him} to be a righteous, [obedient] person./Was it not [because of] what our [revered] ancestor Abraham did, when he [prepared to] sacrifice his son Isaac, that he was considered [by God] {that [God] considered him} to be a righteous, [obedient] person?) [RHQ]
ʻIkai naʻe fakatonuhiaʻi ʻe he ngaahi ngāue ʻa ʻetau tamai ko ʻEpalahame, ʻi heʻene ʻohake ʻa ʻAisake ko hono foha ʻi he funga ʻesifeilaulau?
22 You [(sg)] can realize that he was not only trusting [in God], but he was also doing [what God told him to do], and [you(sg) can realize] that he was able to trust [in God more] completely because of having done [what God told him to do].
ʻOku ke mamata ki he ngāue ʻoe tui ʻi heʻene ngaahi ngāue, pea naʻe fakahaohaoa ʻae tui ʻe he ngaahi ngāue?
23 And [so it happened as it is written in the] Scriptures: “Because Abraham truly trusted in God, he was considered [by God] to be {[God] considered that he was} righteous.” And [God also] said [about Abraham], “He is my friend.”
Pea naʻe fakamoʻoni ʻae tohi ʻaia ʻoku pehē, Na’e tui’a’Epalahame ki he’Otua, pea na’e lau ia kiate ia ko e mā’oni’oni: pea naʻe ui ia ko e Kāinga ʻoe ʻOtua.
24 [From the example of Abraham], you can realize that it is because people do good things that [God] considers them to be righteous, and not only because they trust [in him].
Ko eni, ʻoku mou mamata ʻoku fakatonuhia ʻae tangata ʻe he ngaahi ngāue, kae ʻikai ʻi he tui pe.
25 Similarly, it was certainly [RHQ] [because of] what Rahab did, that [God] considered her to be a righteous, [obedient] person. Rahab was [previously] a prostitute, but she cared for the Israelite men who came [to] ([spy out the land/see what that area was like]) and she [helped them to escape by] sending them home on a different road [from the one that they came on].
ʻIkai naʻe fakatonuhia pehē foki ʻa Lehapi ko e fefine feʻauaki ʻe he ngaahi ngāue, ʻi heʻene tali pea ne fekau ʻae kau mataki ʻi he hala kehe?
26 Remember that when our spirits [permanently leave our] bodies, [our bodies] are dead [and useless]. Similarly [SIM], [if someone says], “I trust [in God],” but does not do [things to help others, what that person says about trusting in God] is useless.
He ʻoku hangē ʻoku mate ʻae sino taʻeʻiai ʻae laumālie, ʻoku pehē ʻae tui taʻeʻiai-ʻae-ngaahi-ngāue, ʻoku mate foki ia.
