1My brethren, do not with hypocrisy hold to the glorious Emunah of Adoneinu Yeshua HaMashi’akh. 2For if there should enter into your Beit K’nesset a man with gold rings and costly garments, and there should also enter a poor man in soiled clothing, 3and you should attend to the one who wears the beautiful clothing and say to him, “Sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “Stand up there,” or “sit here before our footstool,” 4are you not then showing partiality, and thereby giving preference to evil thoughts? 5Hear this, my beloved brethren: has not Elohim chosen the poor of the world who are rich in absolute trust to be heirs of the kingdom which Elohim has promised to those who love Him? 6But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men exalt themselves over you and drag you before the courts? 7Do not they blaspheme against that good Name by which you are called?
8Therefore in your doing of this crowning Mitzvah to everyone, as it is written, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you will do well; 9but if you discriminate among men, you commit sin, and you will be condemned by the Torah as transgressors of the Torah. 10For whoever shall keep the whole Torah, even though he fails in but one statute, he is guilty as to the whole Torah. 11For He who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” said also, “You shall not kill.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you kill, you have become a transgressor of the Torah. 12Therefore, speak, and therefore, act as men who are to be judged by the Torah of liberty. 13For a judgment without mercy will be on him who does not show mercy; for you, through mercy, will be raised above judgment.
14Though a man says he has absolute trust, what profit is it, my brethren, if he does not have works? Can Emunah save him? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacking of daily food, 16and one of you says to him, “Depart in shalom, be warmed and be filled;” yet you do not give to him those things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17Even so, by itself, Emunah without works is dead. 18For a man may say, “You have Emunah and I have works;” show me your Emunah without your works, and I will show you my Emunah by my works. 19You believe that there is one Elohim; you do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble. 20Would you know, O weak man, that Emunah without works is dead? 21Was not our father Avraham justified by works, when he raised Yitz’khak his son upon the altar? 22You can see how his Emunah helped his works, and how by works his Emunah was made perfect. 23And the scripture was fulfilled which said, “Avraham trusted Elohim, and it was accounted to him for tzedaka;” and he was called the Friend of Elohim. 24You see then how a man by works becomes righteous, and not by Emunah only. 25Likewise also was not Rakhav the harlot justified by works when she welcomed the spies and sent them out another way? 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also Emunah without works is dead.
Coming Soon! We are working daily on translating the remainder of the Brit Khadashah from Aramaic to Hebrew. Check back soon for this chapter’s Hebrew version!
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 