| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. | 1My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess 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 if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, |
| 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,” | 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"? |
| 4have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? | 4If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? |
| 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 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? |
| 6But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? | 6But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? |
| 7Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? | 7Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? |
| 8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; | 8But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, "You shall 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 prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. |
| 10For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. | 10For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. |
| 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." Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. |
| 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 a law that gives freedom. |
| 13For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. | 13For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But 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 and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? |
| 15If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, | 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed 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 do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? |
| 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. | 17So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being 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 by my works. |
| 19You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! | 19You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that--and tremble with fear. |
| 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? | 20But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? |
| 21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? | 21Was not 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 his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 24You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. | 24You see that a person 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 similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? |
| 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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