James · Bible in Basic English
James 2 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 My brothers, if you have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, do not take a man's position into account.
1 HERMANOS míos, no tengáis la fe de nuestro Señor Jesucristo glorioso en acepción de personas.
2 For if a man comes into your Synagogue in fair clothing and with a gold ring, and a poor man comes in with dirty clothing,
2 Porque si en vuestra congregación entra un hombre con anillo de oro, y de preciosa ropa, y también entra un pobre con vestidura vil,
3 And you do honour to the man in fair clothing and say, Come here and take this good place; and you say to the poor man, Take up your position there, or be seated at my feet;
3 Y tuviereis respeto al que trae la vestidura preciosa, y le dijereis: Siéntate tú aquí en buen lugar: y dijereis al pobre: Estáte tú allí en pie; ó siéntate aquí debajo de mi estrado:
4 Is there not a division in your minds? have you not become judges with evil thoughts?
4 ¿No juzgáis en vosotros mismos, y venís á ser jueces de pensamientos malos?
5 Give ear, my dear brothers; are not those who are poor in the things of this world marked out by God to have faith as their wealth, and for their heritage the kingdom which he has said he will give to those who have love for him?
5 Hermanos míos amados, oid: ¿No ha elegido Dios los pobres de este mundo, ricos en fe, y herederos del reino que ha prometido á los que le aman?
6 But you have put the poor man to shame. Are not the men of wealth rulers over you? do they not take you by force before their judges?
6 Mas vosotros habéis afrentado al pobre. ¿No os oprimen los ricos, y no son ellos los mismos que os arrastran á los juzgados?
7 Do they not say evil of the holy name which was given to you?
7 ¿No blasfeman ellos el buen nombre que fué invocado sobre vosotros?
8 But if you keep the greatest law of all, as it is given in the holy Writings, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself, you do well:
8 Si en verdad cumplís vosotros la ley real, conforme á la Escritura: Amarás á tu prójimo como á ti mismo, bien hacéis:
9 But if you take a man's position into account, you do evil, and are judged as evil-doers by the law.
9 Mas si hacéis acepción de personas, cometéis pecado, y sois reconvenidos de la ley como transgresores.
10 For anyone who keeps all the law, but makes a slip in one point, is judged to have gone against it all.
10 Porque cualquiera que hubiere guardado toda la ley, y ofendiere en un [punto], es hecho culpado de todos.
11 For he who said, Do not be untrue in married life, is the same who said, Put no man to death. Now if you are not untrue in married life, but you put a man to death, the law is broken.
11 Porque el que dijo: No cometerás adulterio, también ha dicho: No matarás. Ahora bien, si no hubieres cometido adulterio, pero hubieres matado, ya eres hecho transgresor de la ley.
12 Let your words and your acts be those of men who are to be judged by the law which makes free.
12 Así hablad, y así obrad, como los que habéis de ser juzgados por la ley de libertad.
13 For the man who has had no mercy will be judged without mercy, but mercy takes pride in overcoming judging.
13 Porque juicio sin misericordia [será hecho] con aquel que no hiciere misericordia: y la misericordia se gloría contra el juicio.
14 What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him salvation?
14 Hermanos míos, ¿qué aprovechará si alguno dice que tiene fe, y no tiene obras? ¿Podrá la fe salvarle?
15 If a brother or a sister is without clothing and in need of the day's food,
15 Y si el hermano ó la hermana están desnudos, y tienen necesidad del mantenimiento de cada día,
16 And one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warm and full of food; but you do not give them the things of which their bodies have need, what profit is there in this?
16 Y alguno de vosotros les dice: Id en paz, calentaos y hartaos; pero no les diereis las cosas que son necesarias para el cuerpo: ¿qué aprovechará?
17 Even so faith without works is dead.
17 Así también la fe, si no tuviere obras, es muerta en sí misma.
18 But a man may say, You have faith and I have works; let me see your faith without your works, and I will make my faith clear to you by my works.
18 Pero alguno dirá: Tú tienes fe, y yo tengo obras: muéstrame tu fe sin tus obras, y yo te mostraré mi fe por mis obras.
19 You have the belief that God is one, and you do well: the evil spirits have the same belief, shaking with fear.
19 Tú crees que Dios es uno; bien haces: también los demonios creen, y tiemblan.
20 Do you not see, O foolish man, that faith without works is of no use?
20 ¿Mas quieres saber, hombre vano, que la fe sin obras es muerta?
21 Was not the righteousness of Abraham our father judged by his works, when he made an offering of Isaac his son on the altar?
21 ¿No fué justificado por las obras Abraham nuestro padre, cuando ofreció á su hijo Isaac sobre el altar?
22 You see that his faith was helping his works and was made complete by them;
22 ¿No ves que la fe obró con sus obras, y que la fe fué perfecta por las obras?
23 And the holy Writings were put into effect which said, And Abraham had faith in God and it was put to his account as righteousness; and he was named the friend of God.
23 Y fué cumplida la Escritura que dice: Abraham creyó á Dios, y le fué imputado á justicia, y fué llamado amigo de Dios.
24 You see that a man's righteousness is judged by his works and not by his faith only.
24 Vosotros veis, pues, que el hombre es justificado por las obras, y no solamente por la fe.
25 And in the same way, was not the righteousness of Rahab, the loose woman, judged by her works, when she took into her house those who were sent and let them go out by another way?
25 Asimismo también Rahab la ramera, ¿no fué justificada por obras, cuando recibió los mensajeros, y los echó fuera por otro camino?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead even so faith without works is dead.
26 Porque como el cuerpo sin espíritu está muerto, así también la fe sin obras es muerta.
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Proverbs 24:23; James 2:9; Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 16:19; Deuteronomy 1:17
- 2 Esther 3:10; Luke 15:22; Matthew 11:8–9; Zechariah 3:3–4; Esther 8:2
- 3 2 Corinthians 8:9; James 2:6; Luke 7:44–46; Isaiah 65:5; Jude 16
- 4 John 7:24; Job 34:19; Matthew 7:1–5; Psalm 82:2; James 4:11
- 5 Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20; Revelation 2:9; 1 Corinthians 1:26–28; 2 Corinthians 8:9
- 6 Proverbs 17:5; Proverbs 14:31; 1 Corinthians 11:22; Psalm 14:6; James 5:4
- 7 Philippians 2:9–11; Psalm 111:9; Ephesians 3:15; 1 Timothy 1:13; Revelation 13:5–6
- 8 Leviticus 19:18; Galatians 5:14; Matthew 22:39; Romans 13:8–9; James 2:12
- 9 Leviticus 19:15; James 2:1–4; John 8:9; 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20
- 10 Galatians 3:10; Matthew 5:18–19; Deuteronomy 27:26
- 11 Exodus 20:13–14; Matthew 5:21–28; Deuteronomy 5:17–18; Romans 13:9; Matthew 19:18
- 12 James 1:25; James 2:8; Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:4–8; Colossians 3:17
- 13 Matthew 5:7; Matthew 6:15; Proverbs 21:13; Luke 6:37; Ephesians 2:4–7
- 14 Matthew 7:26–27; Matthew 7:21–23; James 1:22–25; Luke 6:49; Titus 1:16
- 15 Luke 3:11; Matthew 25:35–40; Isaiah 58:7; Job 31:16–21; Isaiah 58:10
- 16 Proverbs 3:27–28; 1 John 3:16–18; Matthew 25:42–45; Romans 12:9; 2 Corinthians 8:8
- 17 James 2:26; 2 Peter 1:5–9; James 2:19–20; James 2:14; 1 Corinthians 13:13
- 18 James 3:13; James 2:14; 1 Timothy 1:5; Galatians 5:6; Titus 2:11–14
- 19 Luke 4:34; Mark 1:24; Matthew 8:29; Acts 16:17; Deuteronomy 6:4
- 20 James 2:17; James 2:26; Proverbs 12:11; Romans 1:21; Psalm 94:8–11
- 21 Genesis 22:16–18; Genesis 22:9–12; John 8:39; Matthew 12:37; Romans 4:16
- 22 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 11:17–19; Galatians 5:6; 1 John 2:5; James 2:18
- 23 Genesis 15:6; Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7; Galatians 3:6; Romans 4:22–24
- 24 James 2:21–22; James 2:15–18
- 25 Hebrews 11:31; Joshua 6:22–25; Joshua 2:19–21; Joshua 2:15; Joshua 2:4
- 26 James 2:20; James 2:17; James 2:14; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Job 34:14–15
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… by these things, but that they were given as a sign to the people, this fact shows,-- that Abraham himself, without circumcision and without observance of Sabbaths, "believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God." Then, again, Lot, without circumcision, was brought out from Sodom, receiving salvation from God.
Forgive her, O Lord, forgive her, I beseech Thee; "enter not into judgment" with her. Let Thy mercy be exalted above Thy justice, because Thy words are true, and Thou hast promised mercy unto "the merciful;" which Thou gavest them to be who wilt "have mercy" on whom Thou wilt "have mercy," and wilt "have compassion" on whom Thou hast …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
He was justified not only by works, but also by faith: for though he did many things well, yet he was never called the friend of God, except when he believed.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
For faith apart from works is dead, and so likewise are works apart from faith.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 9 (1899)
… the whole city of God in its pilgrim state, for it cries to God by the mouth of all its members, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." And this prayer is efficacious not for those whose faith is "without works and dead," but for those whose faith "worketh by love." For as reason, though subjected to God, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)