| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New International Version |
| 1My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. | 1My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. |
| 2For 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, | 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 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," | 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," |
| 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? | 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? |
| 5Listen, 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? | 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 you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? | 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 they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? | 7Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? |
| 8If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well. | 8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. |
| 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. | 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. |
| 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become 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 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. | 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 and so act as those who are to 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 judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment. | 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
| 14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that 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 is without clothing and in need of daily food, | 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. |
| 16and 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? | 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 has no works, is dead, being by itself. | 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
| 18But 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." | 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. |
| 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. | 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. |
| 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? | 20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? |
| 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? | 21Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? |
| 22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; | 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 says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS 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. |
| 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. | 24You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. |
| 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by 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 just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. | 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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