Warning against Having Favorites
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 This is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord?
8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.
10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God's Law.
12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!
Faith and Works
14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”
I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” 19 You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.
24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
26 Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!
II.
1 Muni brōli, naesit vīnpuseigi ticeibā ikš myusu slaveigō Kunga Jezus Kristus. 2 Jo jyusu sapuļcē īsarostu cylvāks ar zalta gradzynu un spūžā uzvalkā, kai arī kaids nabadzeigais ar nateirom drēbem, 3 un jyu sovus skotus grīstu uz tū, kas ir spūžā uzvalkā un jam saceitu: Sēstīs šur lobajā vītā, bet — Tu palīc tur! Vai arī: Sēstīs pi muna kōju pamēsļa, 4 — vai tad jyus sevī natīsojat vīnpuseigi un nasprīžat tīsas pēc ļaunas pōrlīceibas? 5 Klausitēs, muni nūmīļōtī brōli, vai tad Dīvs šō pasauļa nabogus nav īcēlis ticeibas bogōtnīkūs un tōs vaļsteibas mantinīkūs, kuru Jys apsūleja tim, kas Jū mīļoj?
6 Jyus gon nabadzeigūs pasmōdejat, bet vai tad tī, kas jyusus apmīdz un jyusus valk tīsas prīškā, nava tī bogōtī? 7 Nasaimojit tō gūdojamō vōrda, kurā jyus asot nūsaukti.
8 Jo jyus izpyldat tū kēniškeigū lykumu, kurs Rokstūs skan tai: Tev byus sovu tyvōkū mīļōt, kai sevi pošu, tad jyus dorat labi. 9 Bet jo jyus asot vinpuseigi, tad jyus grākojat un lykums līcynoj, ka jyus asot jō lauzēji. 10 Un jo kaids lykumu vyspōri arī īvārōtu, bet vīnā lītā tū pōrkōptu, tad jys sagrākōtu pret vysu, 11 jo Tys, kas saceja: Tev nabyus lauleibas pōrlauzt, pavēlēja arī: Tev nabyus nūkaut. Un jo tu lauleibas arī nalauztu, bet nūkautu, tad tu byutu lykuma pōrkōpējs.
12 Tai tad, jyus mōcat un dorat kai taidi, kuri poši pēc breiveibas lykuma tiksit tīsōti. 13 Pret tim, kas nadora žālsirdeibas dorbu, lykums ir bez žālsirdeibas. Tūmār žālsirdeiba par tīsu ir pōrōka.
14 Kū tys leidzēs, muni brōli, jo kaids saceitu, ka jam ir ticeiba, bet navarātu uzrōdeit dorbu? Vai tad ticeiba jū var izpesteit? 15 Jo brōļam vai mōsai tryukst napīcīšamō apgērba vai ikdīniškōs pōrtykas, 16 un kaids nu jums jim saceitu: Ejat mīrā, sasasildit un pasaseitynojit, bet jim naīdūtu tō, kas dzeivei ir napīcīšams, kū tad tys byutu paleidzējis? 17 Tai pat ir arī ar ticeibu: Jo jai nav dorbu, tad jei sevī ir myruse.
18 Un jo kaids saceitu: Tev ir ticeiba, bet man ir dorbi. Parōdi man sovu ticeibu bez dorbim, bet es tev sovūs dorbūs parōdeišu ticeibu. 19 Tu tici, ka ir vīns vīneigs Dīvs? — Labi dori! Bet arī ļaunī gori tam tic un dreb.
20 Vai tu, nagudrais cylvāks, gribi pōrsalīcynōt, ka ticeiba bez dorbim ir nadereiga? 21 Vai tad myusu tāvs Abraams na caur dorbim kliva taisneigs, kad jys sovu dālu Izaaku uz upuru oltora nūlyka? 22 Šite tu redzi, ka ticeiba jō dorbim leidzdorbōjōs, un ka ticeiba caur dorbim sasnēdze piļneibu. 23 Tai izapiļdeja Roksti, kas soka: Abraams ticēja ikš Dīva un tys jam tyka īskaiteits taisneigumā. Un jū nūsauce par Dīva draugu. 24 Tai tad, jyus radzat, ka cylvāks teik attaisnōts caur dorbim, bet na caur ticeibu vīn. 25 Vai tad natykumeigō Raabs arī na caur dorbim tyka attaisnōta, kad jei pījēme izlyukus un pa cytu ceļu jūs izvadeja?
26 Kai mīsa bez dvēseles ir myruse, tai ticeiba bez dorbim ir myruse.
