^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.