James 2

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 My brothers, do not let class distinction enter into your faith in Jesus Christ, our glorified Lord.	1 My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Now suppose a man comes into your synagogue, well-dressed and with a gold ring on, and at thesame time a poor man comes in, in shabby clothes,	2 For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,
3 and you take notice of the wel -dressed man, and say, 'Come this way to the best seats'; then you tellthe poor man, 'Stand over there' or 'You can sit on the floor by my foot-rest.'	3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here, please," while you say to the poor one, "Stand there," or "Sit at my feet,"
4 In making this distinction among yourselves have you not used a corrupt standard?	4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who were poor according to the world that God chose, to be richin faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.	5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
6 You, on the other hand, have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who lord it over you?	6 But you dishonored the poor person. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court?
7 Are not they the ones who drag you into court, who insult the honourable name which has beenpronounced over you?	7 Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?
8 Well, the right thing to do is to keep the supreme Law of scripture: you will love your neighbour asyourself;	8 However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.
9 but as soon as you make class distinctions, you are committing sin and under condemnation forbreaking the Law.	9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 You see, anyone who keeps the whole of the Law but trips up on a single point, is stil guilty ofbreaking it al .	10 For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it.
11 He who said, 'You must not commit adultery' said also, 'You must not kil .' Now if you commit murder,you need not commit adultery as wel to become a breaker of the Law.	11 For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not kill." Even if you do not commit adultery but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.
12 Talk and behave like people who are going to be judged by the law of freedom.	12 So speak and so act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom.
13 Whoever acts without mercy wil be judged without mercy but mercy can afford to laugh at judgement.	13 For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 How does it help, my brothers, when someone who has never done a single good act claims to havefaith? Wil that faith bring salvation?	14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on,	15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,
16 and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty,' without giving themthese bare necessities of life, then what good is that?	16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?
17 In the same way faith, if good deeds do not go with it, is quite dead.	17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone may say: So you have faith and I have good deeds? Show me this faith of yours withoutdeeds, then! It is by my deeds that I will show you my faith.	18 Indeed someone might say, "You have faith and I have works." Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
19 You believe in the one God -- that is creditable enough, but even the demons have the same belief,and they tremble with fear.	19 You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.
20 Fool! Would you not like to know that faith without deeds is useless?	20 Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by his deed, because he offered his son Isaac on the altar?	21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
22 So you can see that his faith was working together with his deeds; his faith became perfect by what hedid.	22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.
23 In this way the scripture was fulfil ed: Abraham put his faith in God, and this was considered asmaking him upright; and he received the name 'friend of God'.	23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God."
24 You see now that it is by deeds, and not only by believing, that someone is justified.	24 See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 There is another example of the same kind: Rahab the prostitute, was she not justified by her deedsbecause she welcomed the messengers and showed them a different way to leave?	25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
26 As a body without a spirit is dead, so is faith without deeds.	26 For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.