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; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore ^(E)put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with ^(F)meekness the implanted word, ^(G)which is able to save your souls.

²² But be ^(H)doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ For 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. ²⁴ For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. ²⁵ But 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.

²⁶ If anyone thinks he is religious ^(K)and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's ^(L)religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion 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. ² For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³ and 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,” ⁴ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become ^(T)judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, 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? ⁶ But 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? ⁷ Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable ^(AB)name by which you were called?

⁸ If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ^(AC)“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(AD)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point ^(AE)has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹ For 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. ¹² So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under ^(AH)the law of liberty. ¹³ For ^(AI)judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith ^(AJ)but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ^15 (AK)If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ^16 (AL)and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good^[b] is that? ¹⁷ So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith ^(AM)apart from your works, and I will show you my faith ^(AN)by my works. ^19 (AO)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even ^(AP)the demons believe—and shudder! ²⁰ Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? ^21 (AQ)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(AR)faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed ^(AS)by his works; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ^(AT)“Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a ^(AU)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way was not also ^(AV)Rahab the prostitute justified by works ^(AW)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence ^(A)earth and sky fled away, and ^(B)no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and ^(C)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is ^(D)the book of life. And ^(E)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, ^(F)according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, ^(G)Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, ^(H)according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then ^(I)Death and Hades ^(J)were thrown into the lake of fire. This is ^(K)the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, ^(L)he was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Final Judgment

^31 (A)“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, ^(B)then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him ^(C)will be gathered ^(D)all the nations, and ^(E)he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates ^(F)the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then ^(G)the King will say to ^(H)those on his right, ‘Come, you ^(I)who are blessed by my Father, ^(J)inherit ^(K)the kingdom ^(L)prepared for you ^(M)from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For ^(N)I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you ^(O)gave me drink, ^(P)I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ^36 (Q)I was naked and you clothed me, ^(R)I was sick and you ^(S)visited me, ^(T)I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And ^(U)the King will answer them, ^(V)‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these ^(W)my brothers,^[a] you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ^(X)‘Depart from me, you ^(Y)cursed, into ^(Z)the eternal fire prepared for ^(AA)the devil and his angels. ⁴² For ^(AB)I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, ^(AC)you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away ^(AD)into eternal punishment, but the righteous ^(AE)into ^(AF)eternal life.”