Warning against Having Favorites
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 This is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord?
8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.
10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God's Law.
12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!
Faith and Works
14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”
I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” 19 You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.
24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
26 Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!
Miomba Ozo Ruoleako ta
1 Ädrupii maro, oso taoma'bai Opi amaro Yesu Kristo, Opi 'desi ndra ya ono ronye, beṛo ämäri ko lidri oyene a'do tesi lomvo ànya ro ro voro. 2 Aba ondro mano ŋgadriamba be koso mäŋgusi läguläguro ndi boŋgo kado be gwo kikyi gwo kalakoto amiro ya, ago mano ati'ba boŋgo nyakaca robe ikyi kpa gwo. 3 Ondro nyàka'da taoro gwo ndra mano se koso boŋgo be kadoro ri ago nyàta gwo ndäri mikye: “Miri noŋwa vo oriro kado dri,” oko nyàta gwo mano ati'ba ri mikye: “Nyedre lau, kode miri noŋwa gyinidri ma pa,” 4 ka'do inye anjioko ami orivoya taenji 'digyele robe andivo amiro lako ago nyà'dote vureope'bai tavousu undiro be yi.
5 Nyèri, ädrupii maro se mulube ono! Lu nji lidri ati'ba ro 'bädri ono rote a'done ŋgaamba be taoma ya ago miri 'bädri'ba ro urune se nda 'ba tana te ànya se kulu nda be ri. 6 Oko mìro 'dise ati'bai ro kote! A'di kani ami eza ago kani ami ese vure kandra ya? Ŋgaamba'bai owo! 7 Ànya ni orivoya se kayibe taundiro ata ävuru se kado ozobe ämiri lomvo owo.
8 Nyà taŋgye oye ondro ka'do nyà ota Miri 'Bädri'ba ro, se usute taegyi ya ono orona owo, se ekye: “Nyulu oriazi miro oso nyulu andivo miro be ronye.” 9 Oko ondro nyà lidri oye beti tesi ànyaro lomvo ro voro, ami orivoya taenji takozi robe, ago Ota ka vure amiro ope otapere'ba ro. 10 Nda se kabe ota alodi pere nda orivoya taenji ànya cini pere robe. 11 Tana nda se katabe ekye: “Miye ta ko toko kode ago drisi,” ata kpani ekye: “Mifu läfu ko.” Ondro ka'do miye ta ca ko toko kode ago drisi, ondro mifu läfu te, nya'do kpate otapere'ba ro.
12 Nyàta ago mìye ta oso lidri se apena vurena 'da ota se kabe ama o'ba dritai ro si ronye. 13 Tana Lu ka'dana yauni ko tuse nda kate vure lidri se a'do ko yauni be ro opena si; oko yauni ni mbara be vure dri.
Taoma ndi Taoye be
14 Ädrupii maro, takado aza gibe mano aza ri atane ekye yi taoma be ondro ka'do taoye ndaro kaka'da kote niya? Inye'do taoma ana unina gi'da nda opane ya? 15 Ondro ka'do ädrupii kode endreŋwà orivoya se leyi boŋgo ago a'doyi kote ŋga be amba onyane, 16 ondro alo amiro aza kata gwo ekye: “Lu käṛu ami! Nyà'do ki'dwe ako ago mìnya ŋga kado.” Takado aza gibe ondro ka'do nyòzo ŋga kado ori ro ko ànyari niya? 17 Taoma kpa inye; ondro anya ka'dobe iṛe ago oloci taoyei kote kigye, 'dooko anya te orivoya avo yi.
18 Ago 'diaza atana 'da ekye: “Lidri alo aza taoma be, ago azana taoyei be.” Tadrioza maro ekye: “Nyaka'da 'diaza se unina ndi a'done taoma be teinye taoye ako märi. Maka'dana taoma maro miri taoyei maro si.” 19 Inye'do mima ndi Lu toto alodi ya? Kado yi! Demonai ma kpa, ago kälä'bi turi si. 20 Mi amama ono! Mile aka'da robe miri anjioko taoma teinye taoye ako ta awi yi ya? 21 Lu ka'da zutu amaro Abarayama te taŋgye'ba ro eŋwanye ya? Taoyei ndaro si ondro nda kozo ŋgwa ndaro Yisika te vo tori oloro dri owo! 22 Mindre ṛo ko ya? Taoma ndaro ndi taoyei ndaro be ye losi te troalo! Taoma ndaro atite takado ro taoyei ndaro si. 23 Ago taegyi a'dote endaro, se katabe ekye: “Abarayama mate Lu ya, ago ta taoma ndaro rota Lu ti nda te taŋgye'ba ro.” Ago äzi Abarayama te bereazi Lu ro. 24 Mindre, a lidri ka'da ŋgye Lu be tase anya kabe oyena si ago ko toto taoma anyaro si iṛe ayani.
25 Raba ronyi'ba kpa oso inye, Lu ka'da anya te taŋgye'ba ro taoyei anyaro si, tana anya ru vomari'bai Yisaraele'bai rote ago 'ba ànya te voopane liti to yasi.
26 Ka'do inye, oso lomvo teinye tori ako orivoya avo yi ono ronye, taoma teinye taoyei ako kpa avo yi.