Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

Honor the Poor Person

2 My brothers and sisters, do not hold the faith of our glorious Lord Yeshua the Messiah while showing favoritism. ^{[a] 2} For if a man with a gold ring and fine clothes comes into your synagogue, and a poor person in filthy clothes also comes in; ³ and you pay special attention to the one wearing the fine clothing and you say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you say to the poor person, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”; ⁴ haven’t you made distinctions between yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that He promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor person. Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? ⁷ Don’t they blaspheme the good name by which you were called? ⁸ If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. ⁹ But if you show favoritism, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Torah as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Torah but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ¹¹ For the one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the Torah. ^{[b] 12} So speak and act as those who will be judged according to a Torah that gives freedom. ¹³ For judgment is merciless to the one who does not show mercy.^[c] Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Show Faith with Works

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in shalom, keep warm and well fed,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is that? ¹⁷ So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder! ²⁰ But do you want to know, you empty person, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father proved righteous by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith worked together with his works, and by the works his faith was made complete. ²³ The Scripture was fulfilled that says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”^[d]—and he was called God’s friend. ^{[e] 24} You see that a man is proved righteous by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And likewise, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also proved righteous by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out another way? ^{[f] 26} For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Dangerous Tongue

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, since you know that we will receive a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many ways. If someone does not stumble in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. ³ And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole body as well. ⁴ See also the ships—though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small member—yet it boasts of great things.^[g] See how so small a fire sets a blaze so great a forest! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire.^[h] The tongue is a world of evil placed among our body parts. It pollutes the whole body and sets on fire the course of life—and is set on fire by Gehenna.

⁷ For every species of beasts and birds, reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ^{[i] 9} With it we bless our Adonai and Father, and with it we curse people, who are made in the image of God. ^{[j] 10} From the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be. ¹¹ A spring doesn’t pour out fresh and bitter water from the same opening, does it? ¹² My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh water.

Gentle Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct let him show his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in shalom by those who make shalom.^[k]