2:1  My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.

2:2  For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,

2:3  and you pay special attention to the one who wears the fine 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,"

2:4  have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

2:5  Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to demonstrate richness in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

2:6  But you have dishonored the poor man. Does not the rich oppress you and personally drag you into court?

2:7  Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have received your calling?

2:8  If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you do well.

2:9  But if you show partiality, you commit sin and the law convicts you as transgressors.

2:10  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

2:11  For He who said, "DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY," also said, "DO NOT COMMIT MURDER." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

2:12  So speak and so act as those who will receive judgment by the law of liberty.

2:13  For judgment will show no mercy to the one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

2:14  What use can it serve, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?

2:15  If a brother or sister has no clothing and in need of daily food,

2:16  and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, become warm and filled," and yet you do not give them what they need for their body, what good can come of that?

2:17  Even so faith, if it has no works, has perished.

2:18  But someone may well 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."

2:19  You believe that God consists of one Entity You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

2:20  But can you recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works has no use?

2:21  Did not Abraham our father receive justification by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

2:22  You see that Abraham demonstrated faith in his works, and as a result of the works, faith became perfected;

2:23  and the Scripture reached fulfillment which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND GOD RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," calling himself the friend of God.

2:24  You see that a man receives justification by works and not by faith alone.

2:25  

2:26  For just as the body without the spirit will die, so also faith without works will die.