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¹ MY brethren, do not, with hypocrisy, uphold the glorious faith of our LORD Jesus Christ.² For if there should enter into your synagogue a man with gold rings and costly garments, and there should also enter a poor man in soiled clothing;³ And you should attend to the one who wears the beautiful clothing, and say to him, Sit here in a good place; and say to the poor man, Stand up there, or sit here before our footstool;⁴ Are you not then showing partiality, and thereby give preference to evil thoughts?⁵ Hear this, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor of the world who are rich in faith, to be heirs of the kingdom which God has promised to those who love him?⁶ But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men exalt themselves over you and drag you before the judgment seat?⁷ Do not they blaspheme against that good name by which you are called?

⁸ If you fulfil the law of God by this, as it is written, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, you do well:⁹ But if you discriminate among men, you commit sin and you will be condemned by the law as transgressors of the law.¹⁰ For whoever shall keep the whole law, except that he fail in but one statute, he is guilty as to the whole law.¹¹ For he who said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not kill. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.¹² So speak and so act, as men who are to be judged by the law of liberty.¹³ For a judgment without mercy will be on him, who does not show mercy; for you exalt yourselves by having mercy over judgment.

¹⁴ Though a man say he has faith, what profit is it, my brethren, if he does not have works? Can faith save him?¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and lacking of daily food,¹⁶ And one of you say to them, Depart in peace, be warmed, and be filled; yet you do not give to them those things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?¹⁷ Even so faith, without works, is dead, by itself.¹⁸ For a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.¹⁹ You believe that there is one God; you do well. The devils also believe, and they tremble.²⁰ Would you know, O weak man, that faith without works is dead?²¹ Was not our father Abraham justified by works, when he raised Isaac his son upon the altar?²² You can see, how his faith helped his works, and how by works his faith was made perfect.²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.²⁴ You see then, how a man by works becomes righteous, and not by faith only.²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot, justified by works, when she welcomed the spies, and sent them out another way?²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.