| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. | 1My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. |
| 2For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy 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. |
| 3do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, "You sit here in a good place," and to the poor person, "You stand over there," or "Sit on the floor"? | 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," |
| 4If so, have 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 dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that 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! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? | 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 good name of the one you belong to? | 7Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? |
| 8But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this 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 prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. | 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. |
| 10For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. | 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 murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator 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. |
| 12Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. | 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, |
| 13For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment. | 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
| 14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of 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 poorly clothed and lacks daily food, | 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. |
| 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm and eat well," but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? | 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? |
| 17So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. | 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
| 18But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith without works and I will show you 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; well and good. Even the demons believe that--and tremble with fear. | 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. |
| 20But would you like evidence, you empty 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 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 his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. | 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 that says, "Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness," and he was called God's friend. | 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 person 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. |
| 25And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed 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. |
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