James 2 - New Testament in Braid Scots 1904 (William Wye Smith)

CHAPTIR TWA. The rich and the puir: hoo ane soud treat the ither. Faith maun be sawn and tentit, gin it wad braird and growe!

¹ My brethren, div ye haud by the faith oʼ oor Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord oʼ Glorie, iʼ the maitter oʼ respect oʼ persons?

² For gin aiblins thar come intil yer kirk a man wiʼ rings oʼ gowd, and braw cleedin; and thar come in as weel, ane in poortith, wiʼ claes unclean;

³ And ye soud spy him wearin the braw cleedin, and say, “Ye sit here in a gude place!” and to the ane in poortith soud say, “Ye staun there!” or “Sit ye aneath my fit‐brod!”

⁴ Are‐ye‐na than dividit amang yersels, and become judges haein unjust thochts?

⁵ Hearken, my beloved brethren! Hasna God taen the puir oʼ the warld to be rich in faith, and to hae the kingdom he has promised to thae that loʼe him?

⁶ But ye lichtlie the puir ane. Are‐na the rich haudin ye doon? and theirsels harl ye afore judgment‐seats?

⁷ Are‐they‐na miscaʼin the wordie name whilk is placed upon ye?

⁸ Gin than, ye fulfil the law, the royal ane, conform to the Scripturs, “Ye sal loʼe yere neebor as yersel,” weel are ye doing!

⁹ But, gin ye schaw walin oot oʼ persons, ye are committing sin, and are fund guilty by the law as ill‐doers.

¹⁰ For whasae may keep the hail law, and yet stoiter in ae thing, has become guilty oʼ aʼ.

¹¹ For he wha said, “Ye maunna commit adultery,” said as weel, “Ye maunna commit murder.” Noo, gin ye commit nae adultery, but are committin murder, ye hae become a breker oʼ the law.

¹² Sae be ye speakin, and sae be ye doing, as men throwe a law oʼ liberty to be judged!

¹³ For judgment, wantin mercy, is for him that gied nae mercy; and mercy glories again judgment!

¹⁴ What the profit, my brethren, gin ane says he has faith, but has nae warks? Isʼt possible for this aneʼs faith to save him?

¹⁵ Gif aiblins a brither or sister be bare, and wantin oʼ daily meat,

¹⁶ But ane oʼ ye soud say till them, “Be ye gaun in peace! be ye gettin warmed and gettin meat!” but soudna gie them the thing necessar for the body: what the profit?

¹⁷ In sic mainner, eʼen the faith, unless aiblins it has warks, is deid by itsel.

¹⁸ But ane wull say, “Ye hae faith, and I hae warks; lat me see yere faith sindry frae yere warks, and I wull lat ye see, by means oʼ my warks, my faith!”

¹⁹ Ye believe “God is Ane”; weel are ye doin! The demons, too, believe, and trimmle.

²⁰ But, wull ye learn, O vain man! that faith, sindry frae warks, is barren.

²¹ Wasna Abraʼm oor faither declarʼt richtous throwe warks, whan he gied up his son on the altar?

²² See‐ye‐na that his faith was workin in his deeds? and by his deeds his faith was ripened?

²³ And the Scriptur was fulfilled whilk said, “And Abraʼm believed God; and it was reckoned till him as richtousness,” and “Freend oʼ God” was his name.

²⁴ Div ye no see that by means oʼ warks a man is declarʼd richtous, and no by faith allenarlie?

²⁵ And, in siclike mainner, Rahab the courtesan too, was she no by warks declarʼd richtous, whan she gae welcome to the messengers, and set them forth anither gate?

²⁶ For eʼen as the body, sindry frae the spirit, is deid; sae thus faith, sindry frae warks, is deid.