¹ My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, with respect of persons.

² For if there come into your assembly a man with a gold ring, in splendid apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment,

³ and ye have respect to him that weareth the splendid apparel, and say, Sit thou here in a good place, and say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or, Sit under my footstool,

⁴ have ye not been partial among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Hearken, my beloved brethren. Did not God choose the poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?

⁶ but ye have despised the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and do not they drag you before the judgment-seats?

⁷ Do not they blaspheme the worthy name by which ye are called?

⁸ If indeed ye fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," ye do well.

⁹ But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

¹⁰ For whoever hath kept the whole law, and yet hath offended in one point, hath become guilty of all.

¹¹ For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," said also, "Do not kill." Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou hast become a transgressor of the law.

¹² So speak, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

¹³ For the judgment shall be without mercy to him that showed no mercy. Mercy glorieth against judgment.

¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, if any one say that he hath faith, and have not works? Can his faith save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶ and one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be warmed and be filled, notwithstanding ye give them not the things needful for the body, what doth it profit?

¹⁷ So also faith, if it hath not works, is dead in itself.

¹⁸ But some one will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; show me thy faith without works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.

¹⁹ Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well; the demons also believe, and tremble.

²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is idle?

²¹ Was not Abraham our father accepted as righteous through works, when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

²² Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.

²³ And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness;" and he was called the friend of God.

²⁴ Ye see that by works a man is accounted as righteous, and not by faith only.

²⁵ And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot accounted as righteous through works, when she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.