Hermanos míos^a, no tengáis vuestra fe^b en nuestro glorioso Señor Jesucristo^c con una actitud de favoritismo^d. 2 Porque si en vuestra congregación¹ entra un hombre con anillo de oro y vestido de ropa lujosa^2a, y también entra un pobre con ropa sucia^3b, 3 y dais atención especial¹ al que lleva la ropa lujosa^a, y decís: Tú siéntate aquí, en un buen lugar; y al pobre decís: Tú estate allí de pie, o siéntate junto a mi estrado; 4 ¿no habéis hecho distinciones entre vosotros mismos, y habéis venido a ser jueces con malos pensamientos^1a? 5 Hermanos míos amados^a, escuchad: ¿No escogió Dios a los pobres^b de este¹ mundo para ser ricos en fe^c y herederos del reino^d que Él prometió^e a los que le aman? 6 Pero vosotros habéis menospreciado¹ al pobre. ¿No son los ricos los que os oprimen y personalmente² os arrastran a los tribunales^a? 7 ¿No blasfeman ellos^a el buen nombre por el cual habéis sido llamados¹? 8 Si en verdad cumplís la ley real^1a conforme a la Escritura: AMARÁS A TU PRÓJIMO COMO A TI MISMO^b, bien hacéis. 9 Pero si mostráis favoritismo^a, cometéis pecado y sois hallados culpables por la ley como transgresores. 10 Porque cualquiera que guarda toda la ley, pero tropieza^a en un punto, se ha hecho culpable de todos^b. 11 Pues el que dijo: NO COMETAS¹ ADULTERIO^a, también dijo: NO MATES^2b. Ahora bien, si tú no cometes adulterio, pero matas, te has convertido en transgresor de la ley. 12 Así hablad y así proceded, como los que han de ser juzgados por la ley de la libertad^a. 13 Porque el juicio será sin misericordia^a para el que no ha mostrado misericordia; la misericordia triunfa sobre¹ el juicio.

14 ¿De qué sirve^1a, hermanos míos^b, si alguno dice que tiene fe, pero no tiene obras? ¿Acaso puede esa² fe salvarlo? 15 Si un hermano o una hermana no tienen ropa^1a y carecen del sustento diario, 16 y uno de vosotros les dice: Id en paz^a, calentaos y saciaos, pero no les dais lo necesario para su cuerpo, ¿de qué sirve¹? 17 Así también la fe^a por sí misma, si no tiene obras, está muerta. 18 Pero alguno dirá: Tú tienes fe y yo tengo obras^a. Muéstrame tu fe sin las obras^b, y yo te mostraré mi fe^c por mis obras^d. 19 Tú crees que Dios es uno^1a. Haces bien^b; también los demonios creen^c, y tiemblan. 20 Pero, ¿estás dispuesto a admitir¹, oh hombre vano^2a, que la fe sin obras es estéril^3b? 21 ¿No fue justificado por las obras Abraham nuestro padre^a cuando ofreció a Isaac su hijo sobre el altar? 22 Ya ves que la fe actuaba juntamente con sus obras^a, y como resultado de las obras^1b, la fe fue perfeccionada; 23 y se cumplió la Escritura que dice: Y ABRAHAM CREYÓ A DIOS Y LE FUE CONTADO POR¹ JUSTICIA^a, y fue llamado amigo de Dios^b. 24 Vosotros veis que el hombre es justificado por las obras y nosolo por la fe. 25 Y de la misma manera, ¿no fue la ramera Rahab^a también justificada por las obras cuando recibió a los mensajeros y los envió por otro camino^b? 26 Porque así como el cuerpo sin el espíritu está muerto, así también la fe sin las obras está muerta^a.

^aMy brothers and sisters, ^bdo not hold your faith in our ^cglorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^dpersonal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your ¹assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in ^abright clothes, and a poor man in ^bdirty clothes also comes in, 3 and you ¹pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^abright 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,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^awith evil ¹motives? 5 Listen, ^amy beloved brothers and sisters: did ^bGod not choose the poor ¹of this world to be ^crich in faith and ^dheirs of the kingdom which He ^epromised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and ¹personally ^adrag you into ²court? 7 ^aDo they not blaspheme the good name ¹by which you have been called?

8 If, however, you ^aare fulfilling the ¹royal law according to the Scripture, “^bYOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9 But if you ^ashow partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet ^astumbles in one point, has become ^bguilty of all. 11 For He who said, “^aDO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “^bDO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law. 12 So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by ^athe law of freedom. 13 For ^ajudgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy ¹triumphs over judgment.

14 ^aWhat use is it, ^bmy brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can ¹that faith save him? 15 ^aIf a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “^aGo in peace, ¹be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 In the same way, ^afaith also, if it has no works, is ¹dead, being by itself.

18 ^aBut someone ¹may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^bfaith without the works, and I will ^cshow you my faith ^dby my works.” 19 You believe that ^1aGod is one. ^bYou do well; ^cthe demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to acknowledge, ^ayou foolish person, that ^bfaith without works is useless? 21 ^aWas our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that ^afaith was working with his works, and ¹as a result of the ^bworks, faith was ²perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^aAND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called a ^bfriend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was ^aRahab the prostitute not justified by works also ^bwhen she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also ^afaith without works is dead.

^aMy brethren, ^bdo not hold your faith in our ^cglorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^dpersonal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your ¹assembly with a gold ring and dressed in ^2afine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in ^bdirty clothes, 3 and you ¹pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^afine 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,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^awith evil ¹motives? 5 Listen, ^amy beloved brethren: did not ^bGod choose the poor ¹of this world to be ^crich in faith and ^dheirs of the kingdom which He ^epromised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and ¹personally ^adrag you into ²court? 7 ^aDo they not blaspheme the fair name ¹by which you have been called?

8 If, however, you ^aare fulfilling the ¹royal law according to the Scripture, “^bYOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9 But if you ^ashow partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the ¹law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole ¹law and yet ^astumbles in one point, he has become ^bguilty of all. 11 For He who said, “^aDO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “^bDO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the ¹law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by ^athe law of liberty. 13 For ^ajudgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy ¹triumphs over judgment.

14 ^aWhat use is it, ^bmy brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can ¹that faith save him? 15 ^aIf a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “^aGo in peace, ¹be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so ^afaith, if it has no works, is ¹dead, being by itself.

18 ^aBut someone ¹may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^bfaith without the works, and I will ^cshow you my faith ^dby my works.” 19 You believe that ^1aGod is one. ^bYou do well; ^cthe demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, ^ayou foolish fellow, that ^bfaith without works is useless? 21 ^aWas not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that ^afaith was working with his works, and ¹as a result of the ^bworks, faith was ²perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^aAND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called ^bthe friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not ^aRahab the harlot also justified by works ^bwhen she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also ^afaith without works is dead.