James 2
Worldwide English (New Testament)
2 My brothers, you believe in our Lord, the wonderful Jesus Christ. So you must not think one man is better than another.
2 A man comes in to your church meeting. He has a gold ring and wears fine clothes. A poor man also comes in. He wears old clothes.
3 You look at the man who wears fine clothes. And you say to him, `Sit here on this good chair.' But you say to the poor man, `Stand over there,' or you say, `Sit on the floor by my feet.'
4 If you do these things, you think some people are better than others. You are wrong when you judge people this way.
5 Listen, my dear brothers. God has chosen people who are poor in this world. They believe very much. They will have a place in the kingdom which he has promised to give to those who love him.
6 But you made the poor man ashamed. Is it not the rich people who trouble you? Are not they the ones who take you to court?
7 Are not they the ones who say wrong things about the good name you have?
8 The holy writings say, `Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' If you obey this law of your King you do well.
9 But if you think one man is better than another, that is wrong. The law says you are a bad person.
10 Anyone who obeys the law, but then breaks one of the laws, has broken all the laws.
11 God made the law, `Do not use sex wrongly.' God also made the law, `Do not kill'. If you do not have wrong sex, but you kill, you have broken the law.
12 There is a law that makes people free. It is the law of showing kindness. Always talk and live like men who will be judged by that law.
13 When God judges, he will not be kind to a person who has not been kind. It is better to be kind than it is to judge people.
14 My brothers, perhaps a man says, `I believe.' What good is that if he does not do anything? Can just believing save him?
15 Perhaps a brother or a sister needs clothes and has no food.
16 Perhaps one of you says to them, `God bless you. Be warm. Eat all you want.' But what good is that if you do not give them what they need for their bodies?
17 Believing is like that. If it does not do anything it is no good. Belief by itself is dead.
18 In that case someone may say, `You believe. And I do good things. Try to show me that you believe without doing any acts of kindness. I will show you that I believe by doing acts of kindness.'
19 You believe that there is one God. That is right. But even the bad spirits believe that. And they shake with fear.
20 You are foolish! Believing is no good if it does not do anything good. Do you want to know that for sure?
21 Look at Abraham. God called our father Abraham a good man. This was because he gave his son Isaac to God on the holy table for a sacrifice.
22 You can see he believed. His faith and the things he did worked together. His believing was made all right because he did something.
23 The words of the holy writings came true. They say, `Abraham believed God. And he was called a good man because of it.' In another place he was called `God's friend.'
24 You see, a man is a good man because of the things he does, and not just because he believes.
25 Rahab was a bad woman. But in the same way God called her a good woman because of something she did. She took the men into her house and then let them go out another way.
26 A body is dead if it does not breathe. In the same way, believing is dead if it does not do anything good.
Santiago 2
La Palabra (España)
Repulsa del favoritismo
2 Hermanos míos, que vuestra fe en Jesucristo glorificado no se mezcle con favoritismos. 2 Supongamos, por ejemplo, que llegan dos personas a vuestra reunión: una con anillos de oro y magníficamente vestida; la otra, pobre y andrajosa. 3 Si en seguida os fijáis en la que va bien vestida y le decís: “Tú, siéntate aquí en el lugar de honor”, y a la otra, en cambio, le decís: “Tú, quédate ahí de pie” o “Siéntate en el suelo a mis pies”, 4 ¿no estáis actuando con parcialidad y convirtiéndoos en jueces con criterios perversos?
5 Escuchad, hermanos míos queridos: Dios ha elegido a los pobres del mundo, para hacerlos ricos en la fe y herederos del reino que prometió a los que lo aman. 6 ¡Pero vosotros despreciáis al pobre! Y, sin embargo, son los ricos los que os tiranizan y os arrastran ante los tribunales. 7 Son ellos los que deshonran el hermoso nombre [de Jesús], que fue invocado sobre vosotros.
8 Vuestra conducta será buena si cumplís la suprema ley de la Escritura: Amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. 9 Pero si os dejáis llevar de favoritismos, cometéis pecado y la ley os acusa como transgresores. 10 Porque, aunque observéis toda la ley, si quebrantáis un solo mandato, os hacéis culpables de todos, 11 ya que quien dijo: No cometas adulterio, dijo también: No mates. Si, pues, no cometes adulterio, pero matas, eres igualmente transgresor de la ley. 12 Así que hablad y actuad como quienes van a ser juzgados por una ley de libertad. 13 Y tened en cuenta que será juzgado sin compasión quien no practicó la compasión. La compasión, en cambio, saldrá triunfante del juicio.
Fe y obras
14 ¿De qué le sirve a uno, hermanos míos, alardear de fe, si carece de obras? ¿Podrá salvarlo esa fe? 15 Imaginad el caso de un hermano o una hermana que andan mal vestidos y faltos del sustento diario. 16 Si acuden a vosotros y les decís: “Dios os ampare, hermanos; que encontréis con qué abrigaros y con qué matar el hambre”, pero no les dais nada para remediar su necesidad corporal, ¿de qué les servirán vuestras palabras? 17 Así es la fe: si no produce obras, está muerta en su raíz.
18 Se puede también razonar de esta manera: tú dices que tienes fe; yo, en cambio, tengo obras. Pues a ver si eres capaz de mostrarme tu fe sin obras, que yo, por mi parte, mediante mis obras te mostraré la fe. 19 ¿Tú crees que hay un único Dios? De acuerdo; también los demonios creen y se estremecen de pavor. 20 ¿No querrás enterarte, presuntuoso de ti, que la fe sin obras es estéril? 21 Y Abrahán, nuestro padre, ¿no alcanzó el favor de Dios mediante las obras, cuando ofreció a su hijo Isaac sobre el altar? 22 Ves, pues, cómo la fe daba fuerza a sus obras, y cómo las obras hicieron perfecta su fe. 23 Se cumplió así la Escritura que dice: Creyó Abrahán a Dios y esto le valió que Dios le concediera su amistad, y por eso se lo llamó “amigo de Dios”. 24 Resulta, pues, que las obras, y no solamente la fe, intervienen en que Dios restablezca al ser humano en su amistad. 25 Ahí tienes también a Rajab, la prostituta: ¿no fueron sus obras, al hospedar y conducir luego por otro camino a los mensajeros de Josué, las que hicieron que Dios le concediera su amistad? 26 Y es que así como el cuerpo sin espíritu está muerto, así está muerta también la fe sin obras.
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.
© 1969, 1971, 1996, 1998 by SOON Educational Publications
La Palabra, (versión española) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España