| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. | 1My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 2For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, | 2For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. |
| 3and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” | 3If you look with favor on the man wearing the fine clothes and say, "Sit here in a good place," and yet you say to the poor man, "Stand over there," or, "Sit here on the floor by my footstool," |
| 4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? | 4haven't you discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? |
| 5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen 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: Didn't God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that He has promised to those who love Him? |
| 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? | 6Yet you dishonored that poor man. Don't the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? |
| 7Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? | 7Don't they blaspheme the noble name that was pronounced over you at your baptism? |
| 8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; | 8Indeed, if you keep the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. |
| 9but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. | 9But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. |
| 10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. | 10For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. |
| 11For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. | 11For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker. |
| 12So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. | 12Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. |
| 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. | 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
| 14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? | 14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him? |
| 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, | 15If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food |
| 16and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? | 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you don't give them what the body needs, what good is it? |
| 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. | 17In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself. |
| 18But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. | 18But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. |
| 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! | 19You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe--and they shudder. |
| 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? | 20Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? |
| 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? | 21Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? |
| 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? | 22You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. |
| 23And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. | 23So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God's friend. |
| 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. | 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. |
| 25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? | 25And in the same way, wasn't Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? |
| 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. | 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. |
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