James 2
The New Consensus Bible is an AI-generated contemporary rendering, built from seven public-domain translations and the 20-tradition consensus. See all the work behind this chapter.
1My brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. 2For if a man with a gold ring comes into your synagogue in bright clothing, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, 3and you look upon the one wearing the bright clothing and you say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and to the poor man you say, "You stand there, or sit here under my footstool," 4have you not judged among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers, did not God choose the poor to the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those loving him? 6But you dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and themselves drag you into courts? 7Do they not themselves blaspheme the good name, the one called upon you? 8If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You will love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; 9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law, but stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all. 11For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so do as those who are about to be judged by the law of freedom. 13For judgment is merciless to the one not having done mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. 14What is the profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15And if a brother or a sister is naked and they are lacking daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what is the profit? 17So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe, and they shudder. 20But do you want to know, O empty man, that faith without works is idle? 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, having offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22You see that faith co-worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected, 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. 24You see then that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25And likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, having received the messengers and having sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, thus also faith without works is dead.
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