James 1:19-2:13

English Standard Version

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹^(A)Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person ^(B)be quick to hear, ^(C)slow to speak, ^(D)slow to anger; ²⁰for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹Therefore ^(E)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(F)meekness the implanted word, ^(G)which is able to save your souls.

²²But be ^(H)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. ²⁴For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵But the one who looks into the perfect law, ^(I)the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, ^(J)he will be blessed in his doing.

²⁶If anyone thinks he is religious ^(K)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's ^(L)religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: ^(M)to visit ^(N)orphans and widows in their affliction, and ^(O)to keep oneself ^(P)unstained from the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 My brothers,^[a] ^(Q)show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(R)the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” ^(S)while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become ^(T)judges with evil thoughts? ⁵Listen, my beloved brothers, ^(U)has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be ^(V)rich in faith and heirs of ^(W)the kingdom, ^(X)which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶But you ^(Y)have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who ^(Z)drag you ^(AA)into court? ⁷Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable ^(AB)name by which you were called?

⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(AC)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹But if you ^(AD)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point ^(AE)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹For he who said, ^(AF)“Do not commit adultery,” also said, ^(AG)“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹²So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under ^(AH)the law of liberty. ¹³For ^(AI)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.