James 2
1 MY brethren, hold not the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus shewing a respect for persons.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 For if there come into your congregation a man with a gold ring, and in splendid apparel, and there come in also a poor man in a sordid garb;
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 fix your eyes upon him who bears the splendid robe, and say to him, Sit thou here in an honourable place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit here under 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 are you not thus partial among yourselves, and form your decision from bad reasonings?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Hear me, my beloved brethren. Hath not God elected the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath 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 put contempt on the poor man? Do not the rich men tyrannize over you? and they drag you to the tribunals.
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 that honourable name by which ye are called?
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 If indeed ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour 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 have respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are 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 whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offendeth in a single particular, he is chargeable with the breach 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 that said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not commit murder. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, yet dost commit murder, thou art a transgressor of the 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, and so act, as those who shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 For judgment without mercy shall be on him who shewed no mercy, and mercy glorieth against judgment.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 What is the advantage, my brethren, if a man profess to have faith, but hath not works; can 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 Now if a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 and should one of you say to them, Go in peace, be warm, be replenished with food: yet if ye give them not the necessaries for their body; what doth it avail?
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 hath not works, is dead itself.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 Perhaps a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith by thy works, and I will shew thee by 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 believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble.
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 wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Was not our father Abraham justified by works, when he 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 seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith consummated.
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 saith, “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness;” and he was called “the 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 Observe therefore that by works a man is justified, and not by faith merely.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 But was not Rahab the harlot in like manner justified by works, when she entertained the messengers, and sent them away by a different road?
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 breath is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
