My brothers, do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord ‘Isa al-Masih with partiality. 2For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your meeting, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in; 3and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place;“ and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,“ or “Sit by my footstool;“ 4haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t Allah choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonoured the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts? 7Don’t they blaspheme the honourable name by which you are called? 8However, if you fulfill the royal shariah found in Al-Kitab, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,“[1]you do well. 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the Taurat’s shariah as law-breakers. 10For whoever shall observe the whole shariah, and yet stumble in one point, he has become guilty of breaking it all. 11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,“ said also, “Do not commit murder.“[2] Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a law-breaker . 12So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a “shariah” that gives freedom. 13For judgment will be without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can that faith save him? 15And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 16and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;“ and yet you don’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. 18Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.“ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19You believe that Allah is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. 20But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? 21Wasn’t Ibrahim our father justified by works, in that he offered up Ishaq his son on the altar? 22You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was completed; 23and Al-Kitab was fulfilled where it says, Ibrahim “believed Allah, and it was credited to him as righteousness;“[3] and he was called the friend of Allah. 24You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25In like manner wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
[1] 2:8 Quotation from the Taurat, Leviticus 19:18.
[2] 2:11 Quotation from the Taurat, Exodus 20:13,14.
[3] 2:24 Quotation from the Taurat, Genesis 15:6.