James 2

¹My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with [an attitude of] personal favoritism.

¹我的弟兄們，你們信奉我們榮耀的主耶穌基督，便不可按著外貌待人。

²For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

²若有一個人帶著金戒指，穿著華美衣服，進你們的會堂去；又有一個窮人穿著骯髒衣服也進去；

³and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,'

³你們就重看那穿華美衣服的人，說「請坐在這好位上」；又對那窮人說：「你站在那裡」，或「坐在我腳凳下邊。」

⁴have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

⁴這豈不是你們偏心待人，用惡意斷定人麼？

⁵Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

⁵我親愛的弟兄們，請聽，神豈不是揀選了世上的貧窮人，叫他們在信上富足，並承受他所應許給那些愛他之人的國麼？

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

⁶你們反倒羞辱貧窮人。那富足人豈不是欺壓你們、拉你們到公堂去麼？

⁷Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

⁷他們不是褻瀆你們所敬奉（所敬奉：或作被稱）的尊名麼？

⁸If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,' you are doing well.

⁸經上記著說：「要愛人如己。」你們若全守這至尊的律法，才是好的。

⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin [and] are convicted by the law as transgressors.

⁹但你們若按外貌待人，便是犯罪，被律法定為犯法的。

¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one [point], he has become guilty of all.

¹⁰因為凡遵守全律法的，只在一條上跌倒，他就是犯了眾條。

¹¹For He who said, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,' also said, 'DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

¹¹原來那說「不可姦淫」的，也說「不可殺人」；你就是不姦淫，卻殺人，仍是成了犯律法的。

¹²So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by [the] law of liberty.

¹²你們既然要按使人自由的律法受審判，就該照這律法說話行事。

¹³For judgment [will be] merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹³因為那不憐憫人的，也要受無憐憫的審判；憐憫原是向審判誇勝。

¹⁴What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

¹⁴我的弟兄們，若有人說自己有信心，卻沒有行為，有甚麼益處呢？這信心能救他麼？

¹⁵If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

¹⁵若是弟兄或是姐妹，赤身露體，又缺了日用的飲食；

¹⁶and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that?

¹⁶你們中間有人對他們說：「平平安安的去罷！願你們穿得暖，吃得飽」；卻不給他們身體所需用的，這有甚麼益處呢？

¹⁷Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself.

¹⁷這樣，信心若沒有行為就是死的。

¹⁸But someone may [well] say, 'You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.'

¹⁸必有人說：「你有信心，我有行為；你將你沒有行為的信心指給我看，我便藉著我的行為，將我的信心指給你看。」

¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

¹⁹你信神只有一位，你信的不錯；鬼魔也信，卻是戰驚。

²⁰But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

²⁰虛浮的人哪，你願意知道沒有行為的信心是死的麼？

²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

²¹我們的祖宗亞伯拉罕把他兒子以撒獻在壇上，豈不是因行為稱義麼？

²²You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

²²可見，信心是與他的行為並行，而且信心因著行為才得成全。

²³and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,' and he was called the friend of God.

²³這就應驗經上所說：「亞伯拉罕信神，這就算為他的義。」他又得稱為神的朋友。

²⁴You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

²⁴這樣看來，人稱義是因著行為，不是單因著信。

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

²⁵妓女喇合接待使者，又放他們從別的路上出去，不也是一樣因行為稱義麼？

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

²⁶身體沒有靈魂是死的，信心沒有行為也是死的。