The Sin of Partiality
1 My brothers,1 tshow no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the uLord 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,” 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 judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, vhas not God chosen wthose who are poor in the world to be xrich in faith and yheirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who zblaspheme the honorable aname by which you were called?
8 If you really fulfill the broyal law according to the Scripture, c“You shall dlove your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the ewhole law but ffails in one point has become guilty of all of it. 11 For he who said, g“Do not commit adultery,” also said, h“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 the ilaw of liberty. 13 jFor judgment is kwithout mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Taming the Tongue
1 aNot many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 bFor we all cstumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to dbridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it eboasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a ffire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, gstaining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,1 and set on fire by hell.2 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, hfull of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are imade in the likeness of God. 10 jFrom the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,3 these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 kCan a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter ljealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, mdo not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the nwisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, odemonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be pdisorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of qmercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a rharvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who smake peace.
Warning Against Worldliness
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions4 are at twar within you?5 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, ubecause you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask vwrongly, to spend it on your passions.
