James 2
1 My brothers, ye should not have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, in favoritism.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 For if a man with a gold ring in bright clothing comes into your synagogue, and also a poor man in dirty clothing comes in,
Suppose a visitor should enter your synagogue, with gold rings and in grand clothes, and suppose a poor man should come in also, in shabby clothes,
3 and ye have regard for the man wearing the bright clothing, and say to him, Sit thou here well, and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit here below my footstool,
and you show more respect to the visitor who is wearing grand clothes, and say – ‘There is a good seat for you here,’ but to the poor man – ‘You must stand; or sit down there by my footstool,’
4 then are ye not partial among yourselves, and become judges from evil thoughts?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, did not God choose the poor of the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he promised to those who love him?
Listen, my dear friends. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the things of this world to be rich through their faith, and to possess the kingdom which he has promised to those who love him?
6 But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich exploit you, and they themselves drag you into courts?
But you – you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you? Isn’t it they who drag you into law courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme the good name that was called upon you?
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 If ye indeed fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.
If you keep the royal law which runs – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself,” you are doing right;
9 But if ye respect personages, ye work sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and stumbles on one, he has become guilty of all.
For a person who has laid the Law, as a whole, to heart, but has failed in one particular, is accountable for breaking all its provisions.
11 For he who said thou shall not commit adultery, also said thou shall not murder. Now if thou will not commit adultery, but murder, thou have become a transgressor of law.
He who said “You must not commit adultery” also said “You must not murder.” If, then, you commit murder but not adultery, you are still an offender against the Law.
12 So speak ye, and so do ye, as men who are to be judged by a law of liberty.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 For the judgment is merciless to him who did no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 What is the benefit, my brothers, if some man should say to have faith, but has no works? Can the faith save him?
My friends, what good is it if someone claims that they have faith, but they do not prove it by actions? Can such faith save them?
15 And if a brother or sister may be unclothed, and may be destitute of daily food,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 and some man of you would say to them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and fed, but ye would not give them the things necessary for the body, what is the benefit?
and one of you says to them – ‘Go, and peace be with you; keep warm and eat well!’ and yet you do not actually give them the necessities of life, what good would it be to them?
17 So also faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 But some man will say, Thou have faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith from thy works, and I will show thee from my works my faith.
Someone, indeed, may say – ‘You are a man of faith, and I am a man of action.’ ‘Then show me your faith,’ I reply, ‘apart from any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.’
19 Thou believe that there is one God, thou do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
It is a part of your faith, is it not, that there is one God? Good; yet even the demons have that faith, and tremble at the thought.
20 But do thou want to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Was not Abraham our father made righteous from works, having offered up Isaac his son upon the altar?
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Thou see that faith was working with his works, and from the works, faith was fully perfected.
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 And the scripture was fulfilled, which says, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, and he was called a friend of God.
and that in this way the words of scripture came true – ‘Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness,’ and ‘He was called the friend of God.’
24 Ye see therefore that from works a man is made righteous, and not from faith only.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 And likewise also was not Rahab the harlot made righteous from works, having received the agents, and having sent them out another way?
Wasn’t it the same with the prostitute, Rahab? Was she not justified by her actions, after she had welcomed the messengers and helped them escape by another road?
26 For as the body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without the works is dead.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
