1 My brothers, don't hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the Lord] of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if there comes into your{+} synagogue a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, and there comes in also a poor man in vile clothing;

3 and you{+} have regard to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, You sit here in a good place; and you{+} say to the poor man, You stand there, or sit under my footstool;

4 Don't you{+} make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers; did not God choose those who are poor as to the world [to be] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

6 But you{+} have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you{+}, and themselves drag you{+} into court?

7 Don't they blaspheme the honorable name by which you{+} are called?

8 Nevertheless if you{+} fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, You will love your fellow man as yourself, you{+} do well:

9 but if you{+} have respect of persons, you{+} commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

10 For whoever will keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one [point], he has become guilty of all.

11 For he who said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if you do not commit adultery, but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak{+}, and so do{+}, as men who are to be judged by a law of liberty.

13 For judgment [is] without mercy to him who has shown no mercy: mercy glories against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but doesn't have works? Can that faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

16 and one of you{+} says to them, Go in peace, be{+} warmed and filled; and yet you{+} don't give them the things needful to the body; what does it profit?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead in itself.

18 Yes, a man will say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith apart from [your] works, and I by my works will show you [my] faith.

19 You believe that there is [only] one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and shudder.

20 But do you want to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

22 You see that faith was working with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.

24 You{+} see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

25 And in like manner wasn't also Rahab the prostitute justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.