James 2 My brothers (= fellow believers, or, fellow Israelites, or, Family), stop, or do not have the habit of, holding the faith of Jesus Christ, our Lord (Master; Owner), Who is the glory (the manifestation Who calls forth praise), in respect of persons (or: do not persist in holding our Lord's = Yahweh's or Christ's trust in partiality or favoritism, or in the receiving of faces or personalities, thus affecting the reputation of Jesus Christ).

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ My brothers (= fellow believers, or, fellow Israelites, or, Family), stop, or do not have the habit of, holding the faith of Jesus Christ, our Lord (Master; Owner), Who is the glory (the manifestation Who calls forth praise), in respect of persons (or: do not persist in holding our Lord's [= Yahweh's or Christ's] trust in partiality or favoritism, or in the receiving of faces or personalities, thus affecting the reputation of Jesus Christ). ² For if a gold-ringed adult male, in a shining or radiant robe, may enter into your gathering (or: synagogue), but then a poor person (one reduced to beggary; an indigent) in a dirty or filthy robe (or: shabby clothing) may also enter, ³ and you should look upon (or: gaze upon and regard) the one wearing the shining robe (= expensive, new clothes), and you may say, "You sit here in a fine and beautiful [manner or position] (= in a place of honor), " and to the poor one you may say, "You stand there, " or, "You sit under my footstool (= on the floor near my feet; = a place beneath my position), " ⁴ are you not thoroughly separated and disconnected within yourselves (or: discriminating and making a distinction among yourselves) and have birthed yourselves to become (or: caused yourselves to be) judges having the qualities of evil reasonings (or: decision makers whose motives are wicked designs and harmful logistics)? ⁵ Listen and hear, my beloved brothers! Did not God at one point choose (call and speak out; pick out; select) for Himself the poor folks in the System (or: Does not God Himself lay out and collect the beggars and those who slink and cower with wretchedness in the world of society, culture, religion and government) – rich folks in faith, trust, loyalty and conviction, and also heirs (those who possess by distribution of an allotment) of the reign and kingdom which He promised to and assured for those continually loving Him? ⁶ But you folks dishonor and devalue the poor. Are not the rich people continuously exploiting you people, repeatedly exercising [their] power and abilities against you? Are they not continually dragging you into courts of law for judicial hearings? ⁷ Are they not constantly defaming (slandering; speaking abusively of; vilifying; or: hindering the light of) the beautiful (fine; excellent; honorable; ideal) Name – the one being called upon (= put upon), and conferred on, you folks? ⁸ Since, however (or: If, really), you are continuously bringing to its goal (finishing; bringing to fruition; perfecting; ending; bringing to a close; fulfilling) the royal law (or: kingly custom; sovereign distribution; rule fit to guide a king), you are performing beautifully (doing ideally; producing excellently), down from and in accord with the Scripture, "You will continue loving your neighbor (the one near you; your associate) as yourself." [Lev. 19:18] ⁹ Yet if you habitually show favoritism (accept faces; behave with partiality), you are continuously working error (a miss of the target; a failure; sin) being ones by proof of guilt repeatedly convicted as transgressors (folks stepping aside or across [the line]), under the Law (or: exposed as deviators by the custom). ¹⁰ For you see, whoever perhaps kept (or: may have guarded and observed) the whole Law, yet possibly at some point stumbled in one thing, had become held (or: caught) within all [its aspects] (or: = is liable for and susceptible to everything). ¹¹ You see, the One saying, "You should (or: may) not commit adultery, " also said, "You should (or: may) not murder." [Ex. 20:13] Now if you are not committing adultery, yet you are now being a murderer, you have come to be (you have been birthed) a transgressor of (a deviator from; [p74 and A read: one who stands away from]) law (or: custom). ¹² Thus keep on speaking and thus keep on doing (performing): as those being continuously about to be separated and decided about (evaluated; judged; made a distinction between; scrutinized) through means of a law (or: custom; [p74: word; message]) of freedom and liberty. ¹³ For you see, the separating and deciding (or: scrutinizing and judging) is merciless to the one not performing mercy. Mercy is consistently speaking loudly and boasting down against evaluating and separating (making decisions; scrutinizing; judging)! ¹⁴ What is the advantage (the furtherance; the increase), my brothers (= fellow believers; = family) if a certain person may keep on claiming to continuously have faith (or: may be now saying [that he is] habitually having trust, loyalty and conviction), yet he may not normally have works (or: keep on possessing actions and deeds)? Is the faith (trust; loyalty; conviction) not continuing able (constantly having power) to deliver (rescue; save; make whole and heal; restore) him? ¹⁵ Now if a brother or a sister may continuously subsist (or: should begin now in a position under [circumstances]) as naked ones (= without sufficient clothing), and may constantly be deserted (or: wanting) of daily food, ¹⁶ yet a certain person out from among you folks may be saying to them, "Be now humbly departing in peace (or: Continue leading [your life] under [these circumstances] in union with harmony), be continuously warming yourselves and be habitually fed and fully satisfy yourselves, " but you would not give to them the body's necessities – what is the advantage or resulting benefit? ¹⁷ Thus also [is] the faith (the trust, conviction and loyalty): if it should not continue to have works (include actions; possess deeds; have employment), by itself it exists being dead (or: is lifeless; = is a corpse) in correspondence to its own nature (in the sphere of itself). ¹⁸ Yet someone will say, "You continuously have (hold) faith, and I continuously have (or: possess) works (actions; deeds). You at once show me (exhibit to my eyes) your faith apart from the works or actions, and I, forth from out of the midst of my actions and works, will continue showing (exhibiting to) you my faith, trust, conviction and loyalty." ¹⁹ You continuously believe (or: trust; are convinced) that God is One (or: that God exists being One; that One exists being God; or: that there is one God). [Deut. 6:4] You are performing (doing) beautifully (excellently; ideally) – even the demons (Hellenistic concept and term: = animistic influences) continuously believe (or: presently trust; are constantly loyal; are normally convinced [about this]), and constantly shudder (bristle; shiver; are ruffled). [comment: in this last phrase Jacob is either making an ontological statement about “demons, ” or he is using sarcasm, referring in a derogatory manner to the Jews who also believe this; Jesus used the term diablos (devil; one who thrusts-through folks) to refer to Judas in John 6:70; He used the term satan when speaking to Peter in Mark 8:33; this phrase could also refer to the superstitious mindsets of folks who have believed Jewish or pagan myths, or have accepted animistic influences into their thinking] ²⁰ But are you willing to experientially and intimately know and receive insight, O empty person, that the faith, trust and loyalty, apart from the works and actions, exists being inactive (continues unproductive; [p74 reads: empty; without contents; other MSS: is dead])? ²¹ Our father Abraham was not placed within the Way pointed out (made fair and equitable; put in right relationship; rightwised; made a just one; also: = placed in covenant) from out of works, when offering up his son Isaac upon the altar! ²² Are you normally seeing that the faith, trust and loyalty continued to work together with his actions and works, and forth from out of the actions (or: works), faith (trust, loyalty and conviction) was brought to its goal (was perfected; was matured; was finished)? ²³ And thus the Scripture was made full, the one saying, "Now Abraham believed (or: put trust and confidence) in God (or: became persuaded by God; adhered to God), and he was counted into the Way pointed out by Him (or: he was considered rightwised by Him; he was reckoned fair, equitable and just in Him; alternately: so it was counted into right relation [= covenant inclusion] for him), " [Ex. 15:6] and he was called "God's friend." [Isa. 41:8] ²⁴ Are you folks normally observing (or: perceiving) that humanity (or: a person) is normally being rightwised (from time to time being placed in right relationship in the Way pointed out; progressively made fair and equitable; normally justified; = put in covenant) forth from out of the midst of actions and works, and not only from out of faith and trust? ²⁵ Now in this same vein, even Rahab the prostitute, taking under [her roof] and welcoming the agents (messengers), and then later exiting them by a different way, was not rightwised (placed in right relationship in the Way pointed out; made fair and equitable; justified; or: shown to be righteous; also: = brought into covenant) forth from out of works. ²⁶ You see, just as the body apart from a breath-effect (or: spirit) is lifeless (dead), thus also the faith and trust apart from actions and works [i.e., the living it out] is (exists being) lifeless (dead).