| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? | 1My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism. |
| 2For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. | 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. |
| 3If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, | 3If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say to the poor man, “You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,” |
| 4doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? | 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? |
| 5Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? | 5Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? |
| 6But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? | 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? |
| 7Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear? | 7Are they not the ones who blaspheme the noble name by which you have been called? |
| 8Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” | 8If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. |
| 9But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. | 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. |
| 10For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. | 10Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. |
| 11For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. | 11For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. |
| 12So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. | 12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom. |
| 13There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you. Faith without Good Deeds Is Dead | 13For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. |
| 14What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? | 14What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? |
| 15Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, | 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. |
| 16and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? | 16If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that? |
| 17So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. | 17So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead. |
| 18Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” | 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. |
| 19You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. | 19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. |
| 20How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? | 20O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless? |
| 21Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? | 21Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? |
| 22You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. | 22You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did. |
| 23And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God. | 23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. |
| 24So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. | 24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone. |
| 25Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road. | 25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route? |
| 26Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. | 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. |
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