James 2
Legacy Standard Bible
The Sin of Favoritism
2 (A)My brothers, (B)do not hold your faith in our [a](C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [b]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in (E)bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in (F)dirty clothes, 3 and you [c]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the (G)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brothers: did not (J)God choose the poor [d]of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He (M)promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves (N)drag you into [e]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the good name [f]by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you (P)are fulfilling the [g]royal law according to the Scripture, “(Q)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (R)show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the [h]law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole [i]law and yet (S)stumbles in one point, he has become (T)guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “(U)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “(V)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the [j]law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by (W)the law of freedom. 13 For (X)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy [k]triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 (Y)What use is it, (Z)my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can [l]that faith save him? 15 (AA)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “(AB)Go in peace, [m]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so (AC)faith, if it has no works, is [n]dead by itself.
18 (AD)But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your (AE)faith without the works, and I will (AF)show you my faith (AG)by my works.” 19 You believe that [o](AH)God is one. (AI)You do well; (AJ)the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, (AK)you foolish fellow, that (AL)faith without works is useless? 21 (AM)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that (AN)faith was working with his works, and [p]as a result of the (AO)works, faith was [q]perfected. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “(AP)And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called (AQ)the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not (AR)Rahab the harlot also justified by works (AS)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also (AT)faith without works is dead.
Footnotes
- James 2:1 Or Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious one
- James 2:2 Or synagogue
- James 2:3 Lit look at
- James 2:5 Lit to the
- James 2:6 Lit courts
- James 2:7 Lit which has been called upon you
- James 2:8 Or law of our King
- James 2:9 Or Law
- James 2:10 Or Law
- James 2:11 Or Law
- James 2:13 Lit boasts against
- James 2:14 Lit the
- James 2:16 Or warm yourselves and fill yourselves
- James 2:17 Or dead by its own standards
- James 2:19 One early ms there is one God
- James 2:22 Or by the deeds
- James 2:22 Or completed
James 2
Christian Standard Bible
The Sin of Favoritism
2 My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) 2 For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3 if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world(B) to be rich in faith(C) and heirs(D) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6 Yet you have dishonored the poor.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into court? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?(G)
8 Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,[a](H) you are doing well. 9 If, however, you show favoritism,(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(J) 11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.[c](K) So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.(L) 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.(M) Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?(N) 17 In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[d] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.(O) 19 You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.(P)
20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,(Q) 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,[e](R) and he was called God’s friend.(S) 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?(T) 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
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