Chapter 2

The Sin of Partiality

1 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.

Faith and Works

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.

Chapter 3

The Tongue Is a Fire

1 aLet not many of you become teachers, bmy brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a 1stricter judgment.

2 For we all astumble in many ways. bIf anyone does not stumble in 1what he says, he is a cperfect man, able to dbridle the whole body as well.

3 Now aif we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well.

4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.

5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it aboasts of great things.

bSee how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!

6 And athe tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which bdefiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our 1life, and is set on fire by 2chell.

7 For every 1species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human 1race.

8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of adeadly poison.

9 With it we bless aour Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, bwho have been made in the likeness of God;

10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both 1fresh and bitter water?

12 aCan a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce 1fresh.

Wisdom from Above

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? aLet him show by his bgood behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter ajealousy and 1selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against bthe truth.

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down afrom above, but is bearthly, 1cnatural, ddemonic.

16 For where ajealousy and 1selfish ambition exist, 2there is disorder and every evil thing.

17 But the wisdom afrom above is first bpure, then cpeaceable, dgentle, 1reasonable, efull of mercy and good fruits, funwavering, without ghypocrisy.

18 And the 1aseed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace 2by those who make peace.