Jake 2
1 Bandeko na ngai, bosangisaka te kopona bilongi mpe kondimela Yesu-Klisto, Nkolo na biso, oyo atonda na nkembo.
My friends, are you really trying to combine faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord, with discrimination?
2 Ndakisa: soki moto moko akoti kati na ndako na bino ya mayangani, alata penza bilamba ya talo mpe lopete ya wolo; bongo mobola mpe akoti, alata bilamba na ye ya bobola.
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 Soki boweleli koyamba moto oyo alati bilamba ya talo mpe bolobi na ye: « Tala esika ya kitoko oyo ebongisami mpo na yo, » kasi bolobi na mobola: « Yo, kende kotelema kuna » to « vanda awa na mabele, na se ya enyatelo makolo na ngai; »
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 boni, wana boponi bilongi te kati na bino, mpe bokomi te koyekola bato na nzela ya makanisi mabe?
Haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves, and used evil standards of judgement?
5 Bandeko na ngai ya bolingo, boyoka: Nzambe apona te bato oyo mokili ezali kobenga babola mpo ete bazala bato ya bomengo kati na kondima mpe bazwa Bokonzi oyo alaka epai ya bato oyo balingaka Ye?
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 Nzokande bino, bomonaka babola bato pamba. Boni, bato oyo banyokolaka bino mpe bafundaka bino na bisambiselo, ezali bazwi te?
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 Ezali bango te bato babebisaka lokumu ya kombo kitoko oyo Nzambe apesa bino?
Isn’t it they who malign that honourable name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 Soki bozali kokokisa Mobeko ya Bokonzi ya Nzambe, oyo ezali kati na Makomi: « Linga moninga na yo ndenge yo moko omilingaka, » wana bozali kosala malamu.
If you keep the royal law which runs – “You must love your neighbour as you love yourself,” you are doing right;
9 Kasi soki bozali kopona-pona bilongi, bozali kosala masumu, mpe Mobeko ezali kokweyisa bino mpo ete bozali kotosa yango te.
but, if you discriminate, you commit a sin, and stand convicted by that same law of being offenders against it.
10 Moto oyo akweyi ata na mobeko moko kaka, atako atosaka mibeko nyonso, abuki nde mibeko nyonso.
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 Solo, Ye oyo alobaki: « Okosalaka ekobo te, » alobaki lisusu: « Okobomaka te. » Nzokande soki osali ekobo te, kasi obomi moto, yeba ete obuki mibeko nyonso.
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 Boye, tika ete bolobaka mpe bosalaka makambo lokola bato oyo bayebi malamu ete bakosambisama kolanda mibeko oyo ememaka bato na bonsomi.
Therefore, speak and act as people who are to be judged by the “Law of freedom.”
13 Nzambe akosambisa na mawa te moto oyo ayokelaka bato mosusu mawa te. Mawa elongaka kosambisama.
For there will be justice without mercy for the person who has not acted mercifully. Mercy triumphs over Justice.
14 Bandeko na ngai, tina nini ezali na moto ya koloba ete azali na kondima, soki azali kolakisa yango te na misala? Kondima ya boye ekoki solo kobikisa ye?
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 Ndakisa: soki ndeko mobali moko to ndeko mwasi moko azangi bilamba ya kolata mpe bilei ya mokolo na mokolo,
Suppose some brother or sister should be in need of clothes and of daily bread,
16 bongo moko kati na bino alobi na ye: « Kende na kimia, yetola moto mpe lia, » kasi apesi ye te eloko oyo azali na yango posa mpo na nzoto na ye, maloba wana ezali na tina nini?
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 Ezali mpe bongo mpo na kondima: soki kondima ezangi misala, ezali ya kokufa.
In just the same way faith, if not followed by actions, is, by itself, a lifeless thing.
18 Nzokande moto mosusu akoki koloba: « Yo ozali na kondima; kasi ngai, nazali na misala. » Lakisa ngai kondima na yo, oyo ezangi misala; mpe ngai nakolakisa yo kondima na ngai na nzela ya misala na ngai.
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 Ondimaka ete Nzambe azali kaka moko? Osalaka malamu! Kasi milimo mabe mpe endimaka ete Nzambe azali kaka moko, mpe elengaka.
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 Oh zoba ya moto! Boni, olingi nalakisa yo ete kondima oyo ezangi misala ezali pamba?
Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
21 Tala, Abrayami, tata na biso, atangamaki lokola moto ya sembo mpo na misala, pamba te abonzaki Izaki, mwana na ye ya mobali, na likolo ya etumbelo.
Look at our ancestor, Abraham. Was he not justified by his actions after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar?
22 Tala ndenge kondima mpe misala na ye ezalaki kosala elongo; mpe na nzela ya misala yango, kondima na ye ekomaki ya kokoka.
You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions;
23 Ezalaki ndenge wana nde ekokisamaki, liloba oyo ya Makomi: « Abrayami azalaki na kondima epai ya Nzambe; » mpe mpo na kondima na ye, Nzambe atangaki ye lokola moto ya sembo, mpe akomaki kobenga ye « moninga na ngai. »
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 Bomoni malamu sik’oyo ete Nzambe akomisaka moto sembo kolanda misala ya moto, kasi mpo na kondima kaka te.
You see, then, that a person is justified by actions, and not by faith alone.
25 Ezalaki mpe ndenge moko mpo na Raabi, mwasi ya ndumba: Nzambe akomisaki ye moto ya sembo mpo ete ayambaki, abombaki mpe akimisaki na nzela mosusu banongi ya Isalaele.
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 Ndenge nzoto oyo ezangi pema ezali ya kokufa, ndenge wana mpe kondima oyo ezangi misala ezali ya kokufa.
Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.
