1 M y brethren, hold not, in respect of persons, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ,

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

2 f or 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,

For 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,

3 a nd 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,' --

and 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,”

4 y e did not judge fully in yourselves, and did become ill-reasoning judges.

have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

5 H earken, 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?

Listen, 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?

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

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

7 d o they not themselves speak evil of the good name that was called upon you?

Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 f or 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;

For 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.

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

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

13 f or the judgment without kindness to him not having done kindness, and exult doth kindness over judgment.

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

14 W hat 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?

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

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

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,

16 a nd 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?

and 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?

17 s o also the faith, if it may not have works, is dead by itself.

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

18 B ut 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:

But 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.”

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

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

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

But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

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

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

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

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

23 a nd 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.

and 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.

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

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

25 a nd 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?

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

26 f or as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.