James 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Sin of Favoritism
2 My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.(A) 2 For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4 haven’t you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: 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 dishonored that poor man.(E) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag(F) you into the courts? 7 Don’t they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism?(G)
8 Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,(H)[a] you are doing well. 9 But if you show favoritism,(I) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.(J) 11 For He who said, Do not commit adultery,[b] also said, Do not murder.(K)[c] So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom.(L) 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn’t shown mercy.(M) Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith[d] 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, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?(N) 17 In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”[e] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.[f](O) 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.(P)
20 Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected.(Q) 23 So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness,(R)[g] and he was called God’s friend.(S) 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent 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.
Footnotes
- James 2:8 Lv 19:18
- James 2:11 Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18
- James 2:11 Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
- James 2:14 Or Can faith, or Can that faith, or Can such faith
- James 2:18 The quotation may end here or after v. 18b or v. 19.
- James 2:18 Other mss read Show me your faith from your works, and from my works I will show you my faith.
- James 2:23 Gn 15:6
James 2
King James Version
2 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.