James 2
New American Standard Bible
The Sin of Partiality
2 (A)My brothers and sisters, (B)do not hold your faith in our (C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in (E)bright clothes, and a poor man in (F)dirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you [b]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 [c]motives? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brothers and sisters: did (J)God not 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 [e]personally (N)drag you into [f]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the good name [g]by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you (P)are fulfilling the [h]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 and are convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet (S)stumbles in one point, 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 do murder, you have become a violator of the 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 [i]triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 (Y)What use is it, (Z)my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can [j]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, [k]be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 In the same way, (AC)faith also, if it has no works, is [l]dead, being by itself.
18 (AD)But someone [m]may well 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 [n](AH)God is one. (AI)You do well; (AJ)the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to acknowledge, (AK)you foolish person, that (AL)faith without works is useless? 21 (AM)Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that (AN)faith was working with his works, and [o]as a result of the (AO)works, faith was [p]perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “(AP)And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a (AQ)friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was (AR)Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also (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 2:2 Or synagogue
- James 2:3 Lit look at
- James 2:4 Lit reasonings
- James 2:5 Lit to the
- James 2:6 Lit they themselves
- James 2:6 Lit courts
- James 2:7 Lit which has been called upon you
- James 2:8 Or law of our King
- James 2:13 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 2:18 Lit will
- James 2:19 One early ms there is one God
- James 2:22 Or by the deeds
- James 2:22 Or completed
James 2
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Do Not Show Partiality Based On Earthly Status
2 My brothers, do not be holding the faith of [a] our Lord Jesus Christ of [b] glory with respect-of-persons[c]. 2 For if a gold-ringed man in shining clothing enters into your gathering, and a poor man in filthy clothing also enters, 3 and you look-upon[d] the one wearing the shining clothing and say “You be sitting here honorably[e]”, and you say to the poor man “You stand there, or be sitting under[f] my footstool”, 4 did you not make-distinctions among yourselves and become judges with[g] evil thoughts?
God Does Not Base His Actions On Human Distinctions. Love Your Neighbor
5 Listen, my beloved brothers— did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and inheritors of the kingdom which He promised to the ones loving Him? 6 But you dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and themselves drag you into courts? 7 Do not they blaspheme the good name having been called[h] upon you? 8 If indeed[i] you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture [in Lev 19:18], “You shall love your neighbor as yourself ”, you are doing well[j]. 9 But if you are showing-respect-of-persons you are working[k] a sin, being convicted[l] by the Law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles in one thing has become guilty of all. 11 For the One having said “Do not commit-adultery” also said “Do not murder”. Now if you do not commit-adultery, but you murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law. 12 So speak and so do as ones going to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment will be merciless to the one not having done[m] mercy. Mercy vaunts[n] over judgment.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What is the profit, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works[o]? The[p] faith is not able to save him, is it? 15 If brother or sister are naked and lacking daily food 16 and one of you says to them “Go in peace; be warmed and filled”, but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what is the profit[q]? 17 In this manner also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by[r] itself.
Faith Cannot Be Seen Apart From Works
18 But someone will say “You have faith, and I have works”. Show me your faith without[s] the works, and I will show you the faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one[t]? You do well. Even the demons believe and shudder!
Faith Is Perfected By Works
20 But do you want to know[u], O empty[v] person, that faith without works is useless[w]? 21 Abraham our father— was he not declared-righteous by works[x], having offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you[y] see that faith was working-with his works, and the faith was perfected[z] by the works? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled, the one saying [in Gen 15:6] “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness”. And he was called a friend of God. 24 Do you[aa] all see that a person is declared-righteous by works, and not by faith alone[ab]? 25 And likewise also Rahab the prostitute— was she not declared-righteous by works, having received the messengers and sent-them-out by a different way? 26 For just as the body without spirit[ac] is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Footnotes
- James 2:1 That is, in; or, originated by.
- James 2:1 That is, characterized by glory (our glorious Lord Jesus Christ); or, from glory; or, Christ, [the Lord] of glory.
- James 2:1 Or, partiality, favoritism.
- James 2:3 That is, look with favor upon.
- James 2:3 Or, fitly, well, appropriately.
- James 2:3 Or, at. That is, under the shadow cast by it.
- James 2:4 Or, characterized by.
- James 2:7 Or, named. That is, the good name your Owner has given you, Christian.
- James 2:8 Or, however.
- James 2:8 Or, acting commendably.
- James 2:9 Or, carrying-out.
- James 2:9 Or, exposed, rebuked.
- James 2:13 That is, shown.
- James 2:13 Or, boasts, exults; that is, in triumph.
- James 2:14 That is, works, actions, deeds, as the fruit of the faith.
- James 2:14 That is, the faith just mentioned; That faith. A negative answer is expected.
- James 2:16 Or, use, benefit.
- James 2:17 That is, being by itself. Or, faith by itself is dead.
- James 2:18 Or, apart-from. This could only be done by pointing to one’s beliefs, which James addresses next.
- James 2:19 Or, this may be a statement. ‘Believe’ is the same root word as ‘faith’. Even the demons have this kind of faith.
- James 2:20 Or, are you willing to recognize, or acknowledge.
- James 2:20 Or, senseless.
- James 2:20 Or, inactive, unproductive, idle.
- James 2:21 That is, by faith with works, the subject under discussion. A ‘Yes’ answer is expected.
- James 2:22 Or, You see (a statement). That is, you empty person.
- James 2:22 Or, completed, fulfilled, brought to its goal.
- James 2:24 This ‘you’ is plural. Or, You all see (a statement).
- James 2:24 Or, only. That is, by faith with works, and not by faith alone. Faith alone is the faith of hearers only (1:22) and demons (2:19). Works as the inevitable fruit of genuine faith are in view here, not works done to earn salvation (as in Romans).
- James 2:26 Or, breath.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
