YAC 2:6 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But you dishonored the poor! Do not the rich overpower you and themselves drag you into court?

UST But you have treated poor people disrespectfully! Think about it! It is the rich people, not the poor people, who are causing you to suffer! It is the rich people who forcibly take you to court to accuse you in front of judges!

BLB But you have dishonored the poor. Are not the rich oppressing you and they dragging you into court?

AICNT But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into courts?

OEB But you – you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you? Isn’t it they who drag you into law courts?

WEBBE But you have dishonoured the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you and personally drag you before the courts?

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts?

LSV But you dishonored the poor one. Do the rich not oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats?

FBV But you've treated the poor shamefully. Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you before the courts?

TCNT But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Are they not the ones who drag you into court?

T4T But you dishonor the poor people. Think about it! ◄It is rich people, not poor people, who are causing you to suffer!/Isn’t it rich people, not poor people, who are oppressing you?► [RHQ] ◄It is the rich people who forcibly take you to court to accuse you in front of judges!/Is it not the rich people who forcibly take you to court to accuse you in front of judges?► [RHQ]

LEB But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich exploiting you and they themselves dragging you into the courts?

BBE 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?

Moff Now you insult the poor. Is it not the rich who lord it over you and drag you to court?

Wymth But *you* have put dishonour upon the poor man. Yet is it not the rich who grind you down? Are not they the very people who drag you into the Law courts? —

ASV But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?

DRA But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you by might? and do not they draw you before the judgment seats?

YLT and ye did dishonour the poor one; do not the rich oppress you and themselves draw you to judgment-seats;

Drby But ye have despised the poor [man]. Do not the rich oppress you, and [do not] they drag you before [the] tribunals?

RV But ye have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?
(But ye/you_all have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgement-seats? )

SLT And ye have despised the beggar. Do not the rich bring you into subjection, and draw you before tribunals?

Wbstr But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-seats?

KJB-1769 But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgement seats? )

KJB-1611 But yee haue despised the poore. Doe not rich men oppresse you, and draw you before the Iudgement seats?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps But ye haue despised the poore. Do not riche men oppresse you by tirannie, and drawe you before the iudgementes seates?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you by tirannie, and draw you before the judgements seats?)

Gnva But ye haue despised the poore. Doe not the riche oppresse you by tyrannie, and doe not they drawe you before the iudgement seates?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor. Do not the rich oppress you by tyrannie, and do not they draw you before the judgement seats? )

Cvdl But ye haue despised the poore. Are not the rych they which oppresse you: & they which drawe you before iudges?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor. Are not the rych they which oppress you: and they which draw you before judges?)

TNT But ye have despised the poore. Are not the rych they which opresse you: and they which drawe you before iudges?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor. Are not the rych they which opresse you: and they which draw you before judges? )

Wycl But ye han dispisid the pore man. Whether riche men oppressen not you bi power, and thei drawen you to domes?
(But ye/you_all have despised the poor man. Whether rich men oppressen not you by power, and they drawn you to judgements?)

Luth Ihr aber habt dem Armen Unehre getan. Sind nicht die Reichen die, die Gewalt an euch üben und ziehen euch vor Gericht?
(You(pl) but have to_him poor_(one) Unehre did. Are not the sufficiency that, the violence at/to you practice/exercise(v) and pull you before/in_front_of court(n)/justice?)

ClVg vos autem exhonorastis pauperem. Nonne divites per potentiam opprimunt vos, et ipsi trahunt vos ad judicia?[fn]
(you(pl) however exhonorastis the_poor. Isn't_it rich through power opprimunt you(pl), and themselves trahunt you(pl) to judgements? )

2.6 Nonne divites. Apertius ostendit quos divites superius dixerit, scilicet illos qui divitias Christo præferunt, et ipsi alieni a fide, eos qui credunt per potentiam opprimunt, et ad judicia potentiorum trahunt. Et est alia causa quare non sunt eligendi, quia mala inferunt fidelibus.

2.6 Isn't_it rich. Apertius he_showed which rich above said, namely those who/which riches to_Christ/Messiah beforeferunt, and themselves strangers from with_faith, them who/which they_believe through power opprimunt, and to judgements powerfulorum trahunt. And it_is other cause why not/no are eligendi, because evil inferunt to_the_faithful.

UGNT ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν. οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια?
(humeis de aʸtimasate ton ptōⱪon. ouⱪ hoi plousioi katadunasteuousin humōn, kai autoi helkousin humas eis kritaʸria?)

SBL-GNT ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν. οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια;
(humeis de aʸtimasate ton ptōⱪon. ouⱪ hoi plousioi katadunasteuousin humōn, kai autoi helkousin humas eis kritaʸria;)

RP-GNT Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν. Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια;
(Humeis de aʸtimasate ton ptōⱪon. Ouⱪ hoi plousioi katadunasteuousin humōn, kai autoi helkousin humas eis kritaʸria;)

TC-GNT Ὑμεῖς δὲ ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν. Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια;
(Humeis de aʸtimasate ton ptōⱪon. Ouⱪ hoi plousioi katadunasteuousin humōn, kai autoi helkousin humas eis kritaʸria; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–13: Believers must avoid favoritism

The theme of this section is that Christians should not treat rich people better than poor people. They should treat everyone with kindness. This is one of the marks of a truly godly person.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Show mercy and honor to poor people and thereby fulfill the royal law of love

Obey the law of love by treating poor people with mercy and honor

Do not discriminate against poor people

Paragraph 2:5–7

In this paragraph, James wrote about two further reasons why Christians should not favor a rich person above a poor one. The reasons are:

that God honors poor people, and
that the enemies of Christ and the church are more likely to be rich people.

2:6a

But you have dishonored the poor.

But you,^(plur) you have dishonored that poor man!
But as for you,^(plur) you have shown no respect to the poor man! Why do you do that?

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But here indicates a contrast. The contrast is between what God had done (chosen the poor) in 2:5, and what James’ readers had done (dishonored the poor) in 2:6.

you have dishonored: The Greek word that the BSB translates as dishonored refers to being rude to someone by what you do or say. The believers whom James was addressing should have realized that the poor person was important to God. Instead they treated him as someone who deserved no respect.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

you have insulted (NIV)

you have humiliated

you have treated shamefully

you have shown no respect

you: The pronoun you is emphatic in Greek. One way to translate this is:

as for you, you

the poor: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the poor is singular. So James was probably referring again to his example, and the poor is the poor man of 2:2–3. For example:

the poor man (NLT96)

2:6b–7b

The rhetorical questions in 2:6b–7b all imply that it was foolish to honor the rich, because they were the very ones who were being cruel to Christian believers. You may be able to show this by making some of this information explicit in 2:6. For example:

^2:6aBut you have dishonored the poor and honored the rich. Why?. ^2:6bIs it not the rich who are exploiting you?

^2:6aBut you have insulted the poor. ^2:6bYou are foolish! Is it not the rich who oppress you?

2:6b–c

In Greek and the BSB, 2:6b–c forms one rhetorical question. Some translations, however, translate 2:6b–c as two rhetorical questions. For example:

Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? (NIV)

Do whatever is clearest and easiest to understand in your language.

2:6b

Is it not the rich who oppress you

Is it not the rich people who are oppressing you^(plur)
It is rich people who are causing you^(plur) trouble, right?
You certainly know that it is rich people who cause you^(plur) to suffer!

Is it not the rich who oppress you: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that it was the rich people who were exploiting the believers. He implied that his readers knew this very well. For that reason, their custom of treating the rich better than the poor did not make much sense.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
are not the rich your oppressors? (REB)
It is the rich people who are oppressing you, right?
As a statement. For example:
The rich are always trying to control your lives. (NCV)
You know that it’s the rich people who oppress you.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

the rich: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the rich is plural. James was referring to rich people in general. For example:

rich people (GW)

oppress: The Greek word that the BSB translates as oppress means “oppressing, dominating, causing severe hardship.” James meant that rich people were using their power against the poor and making them suffer while helping themselves to become richer.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

taking advantage of you

mistreating you

control your lives (NCV)

causing you to suffer

2:6c

and drag you into court?

and forcing you^(plur) to go to court?
It is rich people who are taking you^(plur) to court, right?
You^(plur) know that they are the ones who force you to appear before judges.

and drag you into court?: This is a rhetorical question. James again emphasized that it was the rich people who were mistreating believers.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Is it not they who drag you into court? (NRSV)
It is the rich people who drag you into court, right?
As a statement. For example:
It is the rich people who are forcing you to appear before the law court.
They are the ones who take you to court. (NCV)

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

drag you into court: The Greek word that the BSB translates as drag means “forcing to go.” Rich people were taking poor people to court, making false accusations against them, and treating them unjustly.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

take you to court (NCV)

force you to go before the judges

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν

dishonored (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὑμεῖς Δέ ἠτιμάσατε τόν πτωχόν Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν καί αὐτοί ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια)

What James means by this is clear from the example he gives in [2:2–3](../02/02.md). Alternate translation: [you have treated people who are poor much worse than you have treated people who are rich]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τὸν πτωχόν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὑμεῖς Δέ ἠτιμάσατε τόν πτωχόν Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν καί αὐτοί ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια)

James is using the adjective poor as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [people who are poor]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια

The word that is translated themselves here is the same word that is translated they in the next verse. It is effectively the subject of a new independent clause, so you could translate this as two sentences. Alternate translation: [Do not the rich overpower you? Do they not drag you into court]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια?

James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question by translating his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [It is the rich who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια?

James is implying that rich people do not deserve to be treated better by the believers to whom he is writing, since rich people have actually treated them badly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [People who are rich do not deserve to have you treat them better than others. They are the ones who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

οἱ πλούσιοι

the rich

James is using the adjective rich as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [people who are rich]

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν

Alternate translation: [Is it not the rich who oppress you]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια

˓are˒_dragging you_all into courts

James is speaking of the rich as if they would physically drag the poor into court. Alternate translation: [force you to go to court]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit