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

¹Hama dzangu, kutenda kwenyu kuna Ishe wedu Jesu Kristu wekubwinya ngakusava nerusarura.

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;

²Nekuti kana musinagoge renyu mukapinda munhu une mhete yendarama, akapfeka nguvo dzakanaka, mukapindawo murombo wakapfeka nguvo dzakasviba,

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”;

³mukatarira uyo wakapfeka nguvo dzinobwinya, mukati kwaari: Gara pano zvakanaka; uye muti kumurombo: Iwe mira ipapo, kana: Gara pano pasi pechitsiko chetsoka dzangu;

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

⁴ko hamuna kutsaura mukati menyu mukava vatongi vendangariro dzakaipa here?

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?

⁵Inzwai, hama dzangu dzinodikamwa. Mwari haana kusarudza varombo venyika vakafuma parutendo here, nevadyi venhaka yeushe hwaakavimbisa kune vanomuda?

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

⁶Asi imwi makazvidza murombo. Ko vafumi havakutsikiririyi vachikukweverai kuzvigaro zvekutonga here?

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

⁷Ivo havanyombi zita rakanaka ramunodaidzwa naro here?

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

⁸Kana muchizadzisa murairo woushe, zvinoenderana nerugwaro runoti: Ida wokwako sezvaunozvida iwe, munoita zvakanaka.

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

⁹Asi kana mune rusarura, munoita chivi, munopwiswa nemurairo sevadariki.

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

¹⁰Nekuti ani nani unochengeta murairo wose, akagumburwa kune umwe, wava nemhosva kune yose.

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.

¹¹Nekuti iye wakati: Usaita upombwe, wakatiwo: Usauraya. Zvino kana usingaiti upobwe, asi uchiuraya, wava mudariki wemurairo.

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

¹²Taurai saizvozvo, uye itai seizvozvo sevanozotongwa nemurairo werusununguko.

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

¹³Nekuti kutonga kusina tsitsi ndekweuyo usina kuitira vamwe tsitsi; uye tsitsi dzinozvirumbidza dzichikunda kutonga.

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

¹⁴Zvinobatsirei, hama dzangu, kana munhu achiti ane rutendo asi asina mabasa? Rutendo urwu rwungamuponesa here?

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

¹⁵Kana mukoma kana hanzvadzi yakashama, uye achishaiwa chikafu chezuva rimwe nerimwe,

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?

¹⁶mumwe wenyu akati kwavari: Endai murugare, mudziyirwe, mugute, musingavapi zvinhu izvo zvinodikamwa nemuviri, zvinogobatsirei?

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

¹⁷Saizvozvowo rutendo kana rwusina mabasa, rwakafa pacharwo.

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.

¹⁸Asi mumwe uchati: Iwe une rutendo, neni ndine mabasa: Ndiratidze rutendo rwako rwusina mabasa, neni ndigokuratidza rutendo rwangu nemabasa angu.

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

¹⁹Iwe unotenda kuti kuna Mwari mumwe; unoita zvakanaka; madhimoni anotendawo izvozvo achidedera.

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

²⁰Asi unoda kuziva here iwe munhu dununu, kuti rutendo rwusina mabasa rwakafa?

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

²¹Abhurahamu baba vedu haana kunzi wakarurama nemabasa here abayira mwanakomana wake Isaka pamusoro pearitari?

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

²²Unoona kuti rutendo rwakabata pamwe nemabasa ake, uye nemabsa rutendo rwakaperedzerwa;

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.

²³nerugwaro rukazadzisika rwunoti: Abhurahamu wakatenda Mwari, zvikaverengerwa kwaari kuti ndiko kururama; akanzi shamwari yaMwari.

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

²⁴Naizvozvo munoona kuti munhu unonzi wakarurama nemabasa, uye kwete nerutendo chete.

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?

²⁵Saizvozvowo Rakabhi chifeve, haana kunzi wakarurama nemabasa here agamuchira nhume, nekudziendesa neimwe nzira?

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

²⁶Nekuti semuviri usina mweya wakafa, saizvozvo rutendo rwusina mabasa rwakafawo.