¹Ndugu zangu, mkiwa mnamwamini Bwana Yesu Kristo, Bwana wa utukufu, msiwabague watu kamwe.

¹My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.

²Tuseme mtu mmoja ambaye amevaa pete ya dhahabu na mavazi nadhifu anaingia katika mkutano wenu, na papo hapo akaingia mtu maskini aliyevaa mavazi machafu.

²For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue or, meeting , and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in;

³Ikiwa mtamstahi zaidi yule aliyevaa mavazi ya kuvutia na kumwambia: "Keti hapa mahali pazuri," na kumwambia yule maskini: "Wewe, simama huko," au "Keti hapa sakafuni miguuni pangu,"

³and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing, and say, “Sit here in a good place”; and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool”;

⁴je, huo si ubaguzi kati yenu? Je, na huo uamuzi wenu haujatokana na fikira mbaya?

⁴haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵Ndugu zangu wapenzi, sikilizeni! Mungu amechagua watu ambao ni maskini katika ulimwengu huu ili wapate kuwa matajiri katika imani na kupokea Utawala aliowaahidia wale wanaompenda.

⁵Listen, my beloved brothers. Didn’t God choose those who are poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him?

⁶Lakini ninyi mnawadharau watu maskini! Je, matajiri si ndio wanaowakandamizeni na kuwapeleka mahakamani?

⁶But you have dishonored the poor man. Don’t the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?

⁷Je, si haohao wanaolitukana hilo jina lenu zuri mlilopewa?

⁷Don’t they blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called?

⁸Kama mnaitimiza ile sheria ya Utawala kama ilivyoandikwa katika Maandiko Matakatifu: "Mpende binadamu mwenzako kama unavyojipenda wewe mwenyewe", mtakuwa mnafanya vema kabisa.

⁸However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” Leviticus 19:18 you do well.

⁹Lakini mkiwabagua watu, basi, mwatenda dhambi, nayo Sheria inawahukumu ninyi kuwa mna hatia.

⁹But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

¹⁰Anayevunja amri mojawapo ya Sheria, atakuwa na hatia ya kuivunja Sheria yote.

¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

¹¹Maana yuleyule aliyesema: "Usizini," alisema pia "Usiue". Kwa hiyo, hata ikiwa hukuzini lakini umeua, wewe umeivunja Sheria.

¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18 also said, “Do not commit murder.” Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

¹²Basi, semeni na kutenda kama watu watakaohukumiwa kwa sheria iletayo uhuru.

¹²So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

¹³Maana, Mungu hatakuwa na huruma atakapomhukumu mtu asiyekuwa na huruma. Lakini huruma hushinda hukumu.

¹³For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

¹⁴Ndugu zangu, kuna faida gani mtu kusema ana imani, lakini haonyeshi kwa vitendo? Je, hiyo imani yawezaje kumwokoa?

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?

¹⁵Tuseme kaka au dada hana nguo au chakula.

¹⁵And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,

¹⁶Yafaa kitu gani ninyi kuwaambia hao: "Nendeni salama mkaote moto na kushiba," bila kuwapatia mahitaji yao ya maisha?

¹⁶and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?

¹⁷Vivyo hivyo, imani peke yake bila matendo imekufa.

¹⁷Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.

¹⁸Lakini mtu anaweza kusema: "Wewe unayo imani, mimi ninayo matendo!" Haya! Nionyeshe jinsi mtu anavyoweza kuwa na imani bila matendo, nami nitakuonyesha imani yangu kwa matendo yangu.

¹⁸Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.

¹⁹Je, wewe unaamini kwamba yuko Mungu mmoja? Sawa! Lakini hata pepo huamini hilo, na hutetemeka kwa hofu.

¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.

²⁰Mpumbavu wee! Je, wataka kuonyeshwa kwamba imani bila matendo imekufa?

²⁰But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

²¹Je, Abrahamu baba yetu alipataje kukubalika mbele yake Mungu? Kwa matendo yake, wakati alipomtoa mwanae Isaka sadaka juu ya madhabahu.

²¹Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

²²Waona basi, kwamba imani yake iliandamana na matendo yake; imani yake ilikamilishwa kwa matendo yake.

²²You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;

²³Hivyo yakatimia yale Maandiko Matakatifu yasemayo: "Abrahamu alimwamini Mungu na kwa imani yake akakubaliwa kuwa mtu mwadilifu; na hivyo Abrahamu akaitwa rafiki wa Mungu."

²³and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness”; Genesis 15:6 and he was called the friend of God.

²⁴Mnaona basi, kwamba mtu hukubaliwa kuwa mwadilifu kwa matendo yake na si kwa imani peke yake.

²⁴You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.

²⁵Ilikuwa vivyo hivyo kuhusu yule malaya Rahabu; yeye alikubaliwa kuwa mwadilifu kwa sababu aliwapokea wale wapelelezi na kuwasaidia waende zao kwa kupitia njia nyingine.

²⁵In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

²⁶Basi, kama vile mwili bila roho umekufa, vivyo hivyo imani bila matendo imekufa.

²⁶For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.