James 2
2
Warning against Prejudice
1My brothers and sisters, as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, you must never treat people in different ways according to their outward appearance. 2Suppose a rich man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes comes to your meeting, and a poor man in ragged clothes also comes. 3If you show more respect to the well-dressed man and say to him, “Have this best seat here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” 4then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgements based on evil motives.
5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the kingdom which he promised to those who love him. 6But you dishonour the poor! Who are the ones who oppress you and drag you before the judges? The rich! 7They are the ones who speak evil of that good name which has been given to you.
8 #
Lev 19.18
You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” 9But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. 10Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. 11#Ex 20.13, 14; Deut 5.17, 18For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder. 12Speak and act as people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgement.
Faith and Actions
14My brothers and sisters, what good is it for people to say that they have faith if their actions do not prove it? Can that faith save them? 15Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. 16What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!” — if you don't give them the necessities of life? 17So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
18But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.” 19Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe — and tremble with fear. 20You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?#2.20 useless; some manuscripts have dead. 21#Gen 22.1–14How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. 22Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. 23#Gen 15.6; 2 Chr 20.7; Is 41.8And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God's friend. 24You see, then, that it is by people's actions that they are put right with God, and not by their faith alone.
25 #
Josh 2.1–21
It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road.
26So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without actions is dead.
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James 2: GNBDK
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Ya'akov 2
2
1My Achim b'Moshiach, you do not with your acts of maso panim (favoritism) hold to the#2:1 orthodox Jewish emunah of the glorious Adoneinu Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.#2:1 Dt 1:17; Lv 19:15; Prov 24:23
2For if there enter into your Beit HaKnesset (House of Assembly, shul, synagogue, shtibel) a man with gold rings on his fingers in expensive bekeshe (kaftan) and shtreimel, and there enters also an underpriviledged nebach, a kabtzen (poor person) in shmattes (rags),
3and you pay special attention to the takif [influential man] wearing the bekeshe and shtreimel and say, “You sit here in the seat of kibbud” (respect, honor), and to the kabtzen (pauper) you say, “You stand there.” Or “You sit at my feet,”
4did you not among yourselves differentiate with prejudice and became shofetim (judges) with machshavot re'sha (evil thoughts)?
5Hinei! My beloved Achim b'Moshiach, did not Der Oybershter make the Aniyim of the Olam Hazeh in fact Bechirim of Hashem to be rich in emunah and also yoreshim of the Malchut Hashem, which Adoshem gave as a havtachah (promise) to those with Ahavas Hashem?#2:5 Job 34:19
6But you dishonored the ish evyon (poor man, pauper). Do not the oishirim (rich ones) oppress you and they drag you into the Batei Din (Bet Din courts)?
7Do they not commit Chillul Hashem gidduf (blasphemy) against the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiachʼs Shem Tov that has been named upon you?
8If indeed you are shomer regarding the Dat HaMalkhut (Royal Decree), as it is written in the Kitvei Hakodesh, V'AHAVTAH L'REI'ACHA KAMOCHA#2:8 Lv 19:18 (And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself) you do well.
9But if you show maso panim (favoritism), you are chote'im (sinners) committing averos (transgressions) against the Torah.#2:9 Dt 1:17
10For whoever is shomer over kol haTorah but stumbles in one mitzvah, such is condemned as ashem (guilty) of averoh (transgression) of kol mitzvot.
11For the One having said, LO TINAF (You shall not commit adultery) said also LO TIRTZACH (You shall not murder). Now if you do not commit adultery but you do murder, you have become a Poshei'a al mitzvot HaTorah (Transgressor of the Torah).#2:11 Ex 20:13,14; Dt 5:17,18
12So let your devarim (words) be and so let your ma'asim (deeds) be as those who are about to come under the judgment of the Torah HaCherut.#2:12 1:25
13For the Din (Judgment) will be without rachamim (mercy) to the one not having shown rachamim. Rachamim wins the nitzachon (victory) over HaDin.
14What is the revach (gain, profit), my Achim b'Moshiach, if anyone claims to have emunah but does not have ma'asim (deeds)? Surely not such “emunah” is able to bring him to Yeshu'at Eloheinu?
15If an Ach b'Moshiach or an Achot b'Moshiach is dressed in shmattes (tatters) and lacking “lechem chukeinu”#2:15 Mt 6:11 (our daily bread),
16and anyone of you says to them, “Go in shalom! Be warmed and fed!” but you do not give to them the physical necessities, what is the revach (profit)?
17So also Emunah, if alongside it there is not in its company Ma'asim, is by itself niftar (deceased, dead).
18But someone will say, “You have emunah and I have ma'asim.” You make known to me the Hisgalus haSod (the revelation of the mystery) of your emunah without your ma'asim, and I'll show you, Chaver, from my ma'asim, the Emunah.
19So you're impressed with yourselves that with your emunah you can recite the kri'at Shema, nu? O you do so well… why, even the shedim have your da'as and emunah! But they shudder!#2:19 Dt 6:4
20Are you willing to have da'as, O hollow man, that “Emunah”#2:20 of dead orthodoxy unharnessed to Ma'asim, stands idle?
21Avraham Avinu, was he not YITZDAK IM HASHEM (justified with G-d) by his ma'asim when he performed the akedah (binding) and offered up Yitzchak Bno (Isaac his son) upon the mizbe'ach?#2:21 Gn 22:9,12
22Hinei! While Avraham Avinuʼs Emunah was working, working right alongside was Avraham Avinuʼs Ma'asim, and by Ma'asim the emunah was made shleimah!
23And the Kitvei Hakodesh was fulfilled, Avraham Avinu V'HE'EMIN BA'HASHEM VAYACHSHEVE'HA LO TZEDAKAH#2:23 Gn 15:6 (believed Hashem and it was accounted to him for righteousness). He was even called “Ohev Hashem”#2:23 Gn 15:6; Isa 41:8; 2Chr 20:7 (“Friend of G-d”).
24You see that from Ma'asim#2:24 of Emunah a man is YITZDAK IM HASHEM and not from#2:24 sterilely unpartnered “Emunah” alone.#2:24 i.e., mere intellectual assent
25And likewise also Rachav the Zonah — was she not made YITZDAK IM HASHEM from Ma'asim, having received the messengers and having sent them out a different way?
26For just as the guf (body) without the neshamah is niftar (deceased, dead), so also is Emunah without Ma'asim.
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.