| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. | 1My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. |
| 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; | 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. |
| 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: | 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," |
| 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? | 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? |
| 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? | 5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? |
| 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? | 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? |
| 7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called? | 7Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? |
| 8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: | 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. |
| 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. | 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. |
| 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. | 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. |
| 11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. | 11For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. |
| 12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. | 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, |
| 13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. | 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
| 14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? | 14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? |
| 15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, | 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. |
| 16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? | 16If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? |
| 17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. | 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
| 18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. | 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. |
| 19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. | 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. |
| 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? | 20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? |
| 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? | 21Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? |
| 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? | 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. |
| 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. | 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. |
| 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. | 24You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. |
| 25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? | 25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? |
| 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. | 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. |
|
