1My brothers, keep the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. Do not favor one person over the other. 2A man wearing a gold ring and fine clothes and a poor man in shabby clothes comes into your synagogue. 3You pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothes, and say: "Sit here in a good place." Then you say to the poor man: "Stand there," or "Sit under my footstool." 4Do not make distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts. 5Listen, my dearly beloved brothers! Did God choose poor people in the world to be rich in faith and to receive the kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6You have dishonored the poor man. Do the rich oppress you, and personally drag you into court? 7Do they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? 8When you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well. 9But when you show partiality you commit sin. The law then convicts you as transgressors. 10Whoever obeys the whole law and yet stumbles in one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said: "Do not commit adultery," also said: "Do not murder" Greek: phoneuo: kill, slay, murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12You should speak and act as men who are to be judged by a law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to him who shows no mercy. And mercy triumphs over judgment. 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith but he does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothes and in lack of daily food, 16and one of you says to them: "Go in peace, be warmed and filled;" and yet you do not give them food and clothing, what good is it? 17Even so, faith without works is dead. It is alone and by itself! 18A man will say: "You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." 19You believe that there is one God. You do well: the demons also believe, and shudder. 20Are you willing to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is useless barrenlifeless? 21Was Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22You see that faith acted with his works, and works made faith perfect complete. 23The scripture was fulfilled which says: "Abraham believed Jehovah and it was reckoned imputedconsideredcredited to him for righteousness." He was called »Jehovah’s friend" (Genesis 15:6) ( Isaiah 41:8). 24You see that a man is justified declared and pronounced righteous by works, and not by faith alone. 25Rahab the harlot was justified by her works. When she received the messengers she sent them out another way. 26Just as the body without the spirit is dead; even so faith without works is dead.