1 M y brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.

My brethren, pay no servile regard to people. Do not hold and practice the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory!

2 F or if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;

For if a person comes into your congregation whose hands are adorned with gold rings and who is wearing splendid apparel, and also a poor in shabby clothes comes in,

3 a nd you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”;

And you pay special attention to the one who wears the splendid clothes and say to him, Sit here in this preferable seat! while you tell the poor, Stand there! or, Sit there on the floor at my feet!

4 h aven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Are you not discriminating among your own and becoming critics and judges with wrong motives?

5 L isten, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him?

6 B ut you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?

But you have insulted (humiliated, dishonored, and shown your contempt for) the poor. Is it not the rich who domineer over you? Is it not they who drag you into the law courts?

7 D on’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?

Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called ?

8 H owever, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.

If indeed you fulfill the royal Law in accordance with the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.

9 B ut if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

But if you show servile regard (prejudice, favoritism) for people, you commit sin and are rebuked and convicted by the Law as violators and offenders.

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

For whosoever keeps the Law whole but stumbles and offends in one has become guilty of all of it.

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

For He Who said, You shall not commit adultery, also said, You shall not kill. If you do not commit adultery but do kill, you have become guilty of transgressing the Law.

12 S o speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

So speak and so act as who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

13 F or judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

For to him who has shown no mercy the judgment merciless, but mercy exults victoriously over judgment.

14 W hat good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?

What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no works ? Can faith save ?

15 A nd if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

If a brother or sister is poorly clad and lacks food for each day,

16 a nd one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

And one of you says to him, Good-bye! Keep warm and well fed, without giving him the necessities for the body, what good does that do?

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

So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

18 Y es, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Now you show me your faith apart from any works, and I by works will show you my faith.

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

You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder '> make a man’s hair stand on end and contract the surface of his skin]!

20 B ut do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

Are you willing to be shown, you foolish (unproductive, spiritually deficient) fellow, that faith apart from works is inactive and ineffective and worthless?

21 W asn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

Was not our forefather Abraham justified (made acceptable to God) by works when he brought to the altar as an offering his son Isaac?

22 Y ou see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;

You see that faith was cooperating with his works, and faith was completed and reached its supreme expression by works.

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

And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) God, and this was accounted to him as righteousness (as conformity to God’s will in thought and deed), and he was called God’s friend.

24 Y ou see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God) through what he does and not alone through faith.

25 I n the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

So also with Rahab the harlot—was she not shown to be justified (pronounced righteous before God) by deeds when she took in the scouts (spies) and sent them away by a different route?

26 F or as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from works of obedience is also dead.