§2.1Ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης;
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
§2.2ἐὰν γὰρ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς συναγωγὴν ὑμῶν ἀνὴρ χρυσοδακτύλιος ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ, εἰσέλθῃ δὲ καὶ πτωχὸς ἐν ῥυπαρᾷ ἐσθῆτι, §2.3ἐπιβλέψητε δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν φοροῦντα τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν λαμπρὰν καὶ εἴπητε Σὺ κάθου ὧδε καλῶς, καὶ τῷ πτωχῷ εἴπητε Σὺ στῆθι ἢ κάθου ἐκεῖ ὑπὸ τὸ ὑποπόδιόν μου, §2.4οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν;
For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in dirty clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
§2.5Ἀκούσατε, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί. οὐχ ὁ θεὸς ἐξελέξατο τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ πλουσίους ἐν πίστει καὶ κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας ἧς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν;
Listen, my beloved brothers: has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
§2.6ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν.
But you have dishonored the poor man.
οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια;
Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?
§2.7οὐκ αὐτοὶ βλασφημοῦσιν τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς;
Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?
§2.8εἰ μέντοι νόμον τελεῖτε βασιλικὸν κατὰ τὴν γραφήν
"Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν,"
καλῶς ποιεῖτε·
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
§2.9εἰ δὲ προσωπολημπτεῖτε, ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάζεσθε, ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται.
But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
§2.10Ὅστις γὰρ ὅλον τὸν νόμον τηρήσῃ, πταίσῃ δὲ ἐν ἑνί, γέγονεν πάντων ἔνοχος.
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
§2.11ὁ γὰρ εἰπών
"Μὴ μοιχεύσῃς"
εἶπεν καί
"Μὴ φονεύσῃς· "
εἰ δὲ οὐ μοιχεύεις φονεύεις δέ, γέγονας παραβάτης νόμου.
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
§2.12οὕτως λαλεῖτε καὶ οὕτως ποιεῖτε ὡς διὰ νόμου ἐλευθερίας μέλλοντες κρίνεσθαι.
So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.
§2.13ἡ γὰρ κρίσις ἀνέλεος τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος·
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.
κατακαυχᾶται ἔλεος κρίσεως.
Mercy triumphs over judgment.
§2.14Τί ὄφελος, ἀδελφοί μου, ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις ἔχειν ἔργα δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ;
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
§2.15μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν;
Can that faith save him?
ἐὰν ἀδελφὸς ἢ ἀδελφὴ γυμνοὶ ὑπάρχωσιν καὶ λειπόμενοι τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς, §2.16εἴπῃ δέ τις αὐτοῖς ἐξ ὑμῶν Ὑπάγετε ἐν εἰρήνῃ, θερμαίνεσθε καὶ χορτάζεσθε, μὴ δῶτε δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τοῦ σώματος, τί ὄφελος;
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
§2.17οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἔργα, νεκρά ἐστιν καθʼ ἑαυτήν.
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
§2.18ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις Σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις κἀγὼ ἔργα ἔχω. δεῖξον μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων, κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν.
But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
§2.19σὺ πιστεύεις ὅτι εἷς θεὸς ἔστιν; καλῶς ποιεῖς·
You believe that God is one; you do well.
καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν.
Even the demons believe and shudder!
§2.20θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν;
Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
§2.21"Ἀβραὰμ"
ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη,
"ἀνενέγκας Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον; "
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
§2.22βλέπεις ὅτι ἡ πίστις συνήργει τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη, καὶ ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα §2.23"Ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην,"
καὶ
"φίλος θεοῦ"
ἐκλήθη.
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
§2.24ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον.
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
§2.25ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ὑποδεξαμένη τοὺς ἀγγέλους καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ ἐκβαλοῦσα;
And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
§2.26ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν.
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.