James 2

Modern

Literal

A Warning against Favoritism

¹My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.

¹My brothers, do not in partiality hold the faith from our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.

²Suppose a man comes into your meeting^a wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.

²For if a man might come into your synagogue in splendid apparel with a gold ring, and a poor one in filthy apparel also might come in,

³If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,”

³and you might look upon the man bearing the splendid apparel and might say, “You sit here well,” and to the poor one might say, “You stand,” or, “Sit there under my footstool,”

⁴have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁴then did you not make a distinction among yourselves and become judges with evil reasonings?

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers: Did not God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He promised to those loving Him?

⁶But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

⁶But you dishonored the poor one. Do not the rich oppress you, and they drag you into court?

⁷Are they not the ones who blaspheme the noble name by which you have been called?^a

⁷Do they not blaspheme the good Name having been called upon you?

⁸If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”^a you are doing well.

⁸If indeed you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

⁹But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

⁹But if you show partiality, you are working sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

¹⁰Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

¹⁰For whoever shall keep the whole law, but shall stumble in one part, he has become guilty of all.

¹¹For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,”^a also said, “Do not murder.”^b If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

¹¹For the One having said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” But if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

¹²Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.

¹²So speak and so act as being about to be judged by the law of freedom.

¹³For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹³For judgment without mercy will be to the one not having done mercy. Mercy exults over judgment.

Faith and Works

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

¹⁴What is the gain, my brothers, if anyone says to have faith, but has no works? Is the faith able to save him?

¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.

¹⁵Now if a brother or a sister is naked and lacking of daily food,

¹⁶If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?

¹⁶and anyone of you says to them, “Go in peace; be warmed and be filled,” but does not give to them the needful things for the body, what is the gain?

¹⁷So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action,^a is dead.

¹⁷So also, faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

¹⁸But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show to me your faith without works, and I will show to you faith by my works.

¹⁹You believe that God is one.^a Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well! Even the demons believe that, and shudder!

²⁰O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?^a

²⁰But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is idle?

²¹Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works, having offered his son Isaac upon the altar?

²²You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.

²²You see that faith was working with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.

²³And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^a and he was called a friend of God.^b

²³And the Scripture was fulfilled, the one saying, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God.

²⁴As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.

²⁴You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies^a and sent them off on another route?

²⁵And likewise was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, having received the messengers and having sent them out by another way?

²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

²⁶For just as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.