James 2
1 My brothers, do not hold the belief of the Lord of us, Jesus Christ of glory, in respect-of-persons. 2 For if [a] man come into your synagogue with [a] gold ring in splendid clothing, and also [a] poor [one] come in shabby clothing, 3 you look upon the [one] wearing the splendid clothing and say: You be sitting rightly here, and to the poor [one] you say: You stand here or sit by my footstool. 4 You should not discriminate in yourselves and become judges from wicked1 reasonings. 5 Listen, my agape-beloved brothers. God chose the poor of the world, rich in belief and heirs of the kingdom which was promised to those agape-loving him. 6 But you dishonored the poor. Don't the rich oppress us and they themselves impel us into law-court? 7 Don't they themselves slander the beautiful name of the [one] having called upon us? 8 Indeed you perform [the] supreme law according to the scriptures: Agape-love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. 9 But if you have favoritism, you work sin, being reproved by the law as [a] transgressor. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one, he has become guilty of all. 11 For the [one] having said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become [a] transgressor of [the] law. 12 So be speaking and so be doing as through [the] law of freedom [You are] [about] to be being judged. 13 For the judgment [is] merciless to those not having done mercy: Mercy exults over judgment.14 What [is] the advantage, my brothers, if someone be saying to be having faith but is not having works? 15 Is [his] faith able to save him?2 If [a] brother or sister being at hand [is] naked and lacking daily food, 16 but to them someone from [among] you say: Depart in peace, be being warmed and be being filled, but you do not give to them the necessities of the body, what is the advantage? 17 And faith in this manner, if not having works, is dead according to itself. 18 But someone will say, You have faith, but I have works; show to me your faith without works, but I will show you by my works [my] faith. 19 You believe that God is one? You do well. The demons also believe and shudder. 20 But you wish to know, O empty [man], that faith without works is worthless3? Wasn't our father Abraham justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and by the works was faith completed. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which says: Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for justice, and he was called the philia-[friend] of God. 24 See that by works [a] man is justified and not be faith alone. 25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, receiving the messengers as guests and having sent [them] by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, likewise also faith without works is dead.
1PONEROS (πoνηρoς ) here. The Greek word KAKOS (κακoς ) is always translated `evil', PONEROS is usually translated as `wicked' although occasionally as `bad'; it can also mean 'diseased', 'sickly' and is thus translated where appropriate. Like KAKOS, PONEROS also means `evil', but the harm that evil does is more in view, where KAKOS is more `evil as evil'.
2grammer indicates "no" answer expected or expresses uncertainty
3"worthless": B; "dead" ℵK; "empty": p74