James 2, side by side

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

¹My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

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

²For 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;

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 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:

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

⁴Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

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?

⁵Hearken, 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?

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

⁶But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?

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

⁷Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

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

⁸If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

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

⁹But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

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

¹⁰For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

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

¹¹For 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.

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

¹²So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

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

¹³For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

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

¹⁴What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

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

¹⁵If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute 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 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?

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

¹⁷Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

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.

¹⁸Yea, 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.

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

¹⁹Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

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

²⁰But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

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, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

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

²²Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

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

²³And 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.

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

²⁴Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

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

²⁵Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

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

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