Jak 2
1 Frè m' yo, nou menm ki gen konfyans nan Jezikri, Seyè nou an ki gen tout pouvwa pou li, nou pa dwe gade sou figi moun.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 Sipoze de moun vin antre nan asanble nou, yonn gen yon bèl rechanj sou li ak yon bag an lò nan dwèt li, lòt la tou pòv ak yon rad chire sou li.
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 Si nou leve pou n' salwe nonm ki gen bèl rechanj lan, epi nou di li: Msye, chita la nan bon plas sa a, epi si nou di pòv la: Ou menm, kanpe bò la a, osinon, chita atè bò pye m' lan,
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 èske nou pa mete yon diferans nan mitan nou? Eske sa pa moutre nou gen move lide nan tèt nou lè n'ap jije moun?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Frè mwen renmen anpil yo, tande sa byen: Bondye chwazi moun ki pòv sou latè pou yo ka rich nan konfyans nan Bondye, pou yo ka jwenn pòsyon pa yo nan peyi li te pwomèt moun ki renmen l' yo.
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 Men, nou menm, se meprize n'ap meprize moun pòv yo! Eske se pa moun rich yo k'ap kraze nou, k'ap trennen nou nan tribinal?
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 Se yo menm tou k'ap pale bèl non Bondye ban nou an mal.
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 Jan sa ekri nan Liv la, lalwa gran Wa a di: Se pou ou renmen frè parèy ou tankou ou renmen pwòp tèt pa ou. Si nou fè sa, nou fè byen.
If you keep the royal law which runs – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself,” you are doing right;
9 Men, si n'ap gade sou figi moun, nou fè peche. Lalwa ap kondannen nou pou dezobeyisans.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 Paske, moun ki obsève tout lalwa a men ki dezobeyi yon sèl nan kòmandman yo, se tankou si l' te dezobeyi tout kòmandman yo.
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 Paske Bondye ki di: Pa fè adiltè, se li menm tou ki di: Pa touye moun. Konsa, menm si ou pa fè adiltè, men ou touye moun, ou dezobeyi lalwa a.
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 Se pou nou pale, se pou nou aji tankou moun ki gen pou pase anba jijman dapre lalwa ki ban nou libète a.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 Paske, lè Bondye ap jije, l'ap san pitye pou moun ki te san pitye. Men, moun ki gen pitye pou lòt va soti tèt dwat lè jou jijman an.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 Frè m' yo, kisa sa fè pou yon moun k'ap di li gen konfyans nan Bondye, si li pa fè bagay pou moutre li gen konfyans lan vre? Eske konfyans sa a ka delivre li?
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 Sipoze gen yon frè osinon yon sè ki toutouni, ki pa manje kont li chak jou,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 si yonn nan nou di yo: Ou mèt ale. Chofe kò ou, manje plen vant ou, san li pa ba yo sa yo bezwen, kisa sa ap fè pou yo?
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 Konsa tou pou konfyans nan Bondye a: si l' pa fè nou fè sa ki byen, si l' rete pou kont li, li mouri.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 Men, gen moun ki va di: Ou menm, ou gen konfyans. Mwen menm, mwen fè sa ki byen. M'a reponn li: Moutre m' ki jan ou ka gen konfyans san ou pa fè sa ki byen, mwen menm m'ap moutre ou jan mwen gen konfyans ak sa m'ap fè ki byen.
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 Ou kwè gen yon sèl Bondye. Ou fè byen. Denmon yo tou yo kwè sa, men y'ap tranble sitèlman yo pè.
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 Gade jan ou manke konprann! Eske ou vle wè ki jan konfyans pa vo anyen si l' pa mache ak sa ou fè ki byen?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Abraram granpapa nou, èske Bondye pa t' fè l' gras poutèt sa li te fè lè l' te ofri Izarak, pitit li a, sou lotèl la?
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Ou wè. Konfyans li te mache ansanm ak sa li te fè. Konsa tou, sa l' te fè a te fè konfyans li vin bon nèt.
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 Se konsa, pawòl ki te ekri nan Liv la rive vre: Abraram te mete konfyans li nan Bondye, epi Bondye fè l' gras. Se sak fè yo te rele Abraram zanmi Bondye.
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 Ou wè: se pa sèlman paske yon moun gen konfyans kifè Bondye fè l' gras, men se paske li fè sa ki byen anmenmtan an tou.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 Se menm jan an tou pou Rarab, fanm movèz vi a. Eske se pa t' poutèt sa l' te fè a Bondye te fè l' gras, lè l' te resevwa mesaje jwif yo, lè l' te fè yo pran yon lòt wout pou tounen lakay yo?
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 Menm jan yon kò ki san nanm se yon kò ki mouri, konsa tou, konfyans nan Bondye ki pa mache ak fè sa ki byen se yon konfyans ki mouri.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
