¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.

⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?^(A) Are not even the tax collectors doing that?

Favoritism Forbidden

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious^(A) Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.^{(B) 2} Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges^(C) with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:^(D) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world^(E) to be rich in faith^(F) and to inherit the kingdom^(G) he promised those who love him?^{(H) 6} But you have dishonored the poor.^(I) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?^(J)

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?^(A) Even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?^(B) Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them,^(C) and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children^(D) of the Most High,^(E) because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful,^(F) just as your Father^(G) is merciful.