1 M y brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

My brethren, hold not, in respect of persons, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 F or if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

for if there may come into your synagogue a man with gold ring, in gay raiment, and there may come in also a poor man in vile raiment,

3 a nd you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”

and ye may look upon him bearing the gay raiment, and may say to him, `Thou -- sit thou here well,' and to the poor man may say, `Thou -- stand thou there, or, Sit thou here under my footstool,' --

4 h ave you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

ye did not judge fully in yourselves, and did become ill-reasoning judges.

5 L isten, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

Hearken, my brethren beloved, did not God choose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the reign that He promised to those loving Him?

6 B ut you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

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

7 D o they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

do they not themselves speak evil of the good name that was called upon you?

8 I f, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

If, indeed, royal law ye complete, according to the Writing, `Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,' -- ye do well;

9 B ut if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

and if ye accept persons, sin ye do work, being convicted by the law as transgressors;

10 F or whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

for whoever the whole law shall keep, and shall stumble in one, he hath become guilty of all;

11 F or He who said, “ Do not commit adultery,” also said, “ Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

for He who is saying, `Thou mayest not commit adultery,' said also, `Thou mayest do no murder;' and if thou shalt not commit adultery, and shalt commit murder, thou hast become a transgressor of law;

12 S o speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

so speak ye and so do, as about by a law of liberty to be judged,

13 F or judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. Faith and Works

for the judgment without kindness to him not having done kindness, and exult doth kindness over judgment.

14 W hat use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

What the profit, my brethren, if faith, any one may speak of having, and works he may not have? is that faith able to save him?

15 I f a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

and if a brother or sister may be naked, and may be destitute of the daily food,

16 a nd one of you says to them, “ Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

and any one of you may say to them, `Depart ye in peace, be warmed, and be filled,' and may not give to them the things needful for the body, what the profit?

17 E ven so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

so also the faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself.

18 B ut someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

But say may some one, Thou hast faith, and I have works, shew me thy faith out of thy works, and I will shew thee out of my works my faith:

19 Y ou believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

thou -- thou dost believe that God is one; thou dost well, and the demons believe, and they shudder!

20 B ut are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead?

21 W as not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

Abraham our father -- was not he declared righteous out of works, having brought up Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Y ou see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected?

23 a nd the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “ And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

and fulfilled was the Writing that is saying, `And Abraham did believe God, and it was reckoned to him -- to righteousness;' and, `Friend of God' he was called.

24 Y ou see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only;

25 I n the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

and in like manner also Rahab the harlot -- was she not out of works declared righteous, having received the messengers, and by another way having sent forth?

26 F or just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.