Kɔkɔbɔ
1Me nuanom, sɛ moyɛ agyidifo wɔ Awurade Kristo anuonyam mu yi, monnyɛ nhwɛanim. 2Sɛ muhyia a, ɔdefo a ɔhyɛ mpɛtea ne ntade pa ne ohiani bi nso a ɔhyɛ ntadegow nyinaa tumi ba bi. 3Sɛ wode nidi ma nea wasiesie ne ho yiye no, na woka kyerɛ no se, “Tena saa akongua pa yi so,” na woka kyerɛ ohiani no nso se, “Sɔre gyina hɔ anaa tena fam wɔ me nan ase ha” a, 4wudi fɔ sɛ wugyina atemmu a efi adwemmɔne mu de nyiyimu abɛto mo mu no ho.
5Me nuanom adɔfo, muntie! Onyankopɔn yii wiase yi mu ahiafo sɛ wɔnyɛ adefo wɔ gyidi mu na wɔanya ahenni a ɔhyɛɛ wɔn a wɔdɔ no no ho bɔ no. 6Nanso moammu ahiafo! Ɛhefo na wodi mo nya twe mo kɔ atemmufo anim? Adefo! 7Wɔne nnipa a wɔkasa tia din pa a wɔde ama mo no.
8Eye sɛ mudi yɛn Awurade mmara a ɛka se, “Dɔ wo yɔnko sɛ wo ho” no so. 9Na sɛ mohwɛ nnipa anim de gye wɔn a, mudi ho fɔ na mmara no di tia mo sɛ mmaratofo. 10Obiara a obu mmara no mu baako pɛ so no bu ne nyinaa so. 11Efisɛ nea ɔkae se, “Nsɛe aware” no, ɔno ara nso na ɔkae se, “Nni awu.” Na sɛ woansɛe aware na wudi awu a, woabu mmara so.
12Sɛ woyɛ Kristo apɛde o, sɛ woanyɛ nʼapɛde o, wubebu wo ho atɛn. Enti hwɛ asɛm a woka ne nea woyɛ biara yiye. 13Efisɛ obi a wanhu mmɔbɔ no, Onyankopɔn atemmu mu no, wɔrenhu no mmɔbɔ. Nanso mmɔborɔhunu bunkam atemmu so.
14Me nuanom, sɛ obi ka se, “Mewɔ gyidi” na onni gyidi no ho dwuma a, mfaso bɛn na ɛwɔ so? Saa gyidi no betumi agye no nkwa ana? 15Sɛ anuanom bi wɔ hɔ a ntama ho hia wɔn na wonni aduan dodow nso a wobedi, 16na sɛ wokɔka kyerɛ wɔn se, “Onyame nhyira mo! Mo ho nyɛ mo hyew na munnidi yiye” na sɛ woamma wɔn asetena yi mu nea ehia wɔn a, papa bɛn na woayɛ wɔn? 17Saa ara na gyidi te. Sɛ nneyɛe nka ho a, na awu.
18Nanso obi betumi aka se, “Obi wɔ gyidi na afoforo nso wɔ nneyɛe.”
Me mmuae ne sɛ, “Kyerɛ me sɛnea obi tumi nya gyidi a nneyɛe mmata ho ase. Me de, menam me nneyɛe so bɛkyerɛ wo me gyidi.” 19Wugye di sɛ Onyankopɔn baako pɛ na ɔwɔ hɔ? Eye! Ahonhommɔne nso gye di saa ara na wɔn ho popo wɔ osuro mu.
20Ɔkwasea! Wopɛ sɛ wɔka kyerɛ wo sɛ gyidi a nneyɛe mmata ho no so nni mfaso ana? 21Ɛyɛɛ dɛn na Onyankopɔn buu Abraham bem? Ɛnam ne nneyɛe so sɛ ɔde ne ba Isak maa wɔ afɔremuka so no. 22Wuhu sɛ ne gyidi ne ne nneyɛe nyinaa redi dwuma na ne nneyɛe no maa ne gyidi no dii mu. 23Na Kyerɛwsɛm no baa mu se, Abraham gyee Onyankopɔn dii na esiane ne gyidi no nti, Onyankopɔn gyee no sɛ ɔtreneeni. Enti wɔfrɛ Abraham Onyankopɔn adamfo.2.23 Saa asɛm yi (2 Be 20.7) kyerɛ Abraham ne Onyankopɔn adamfofa ne gye a ogyee no sɛ ɔtreneeni no. (Yoh 15.13-15) 24Eyi da no adi pefee sɛ Onyankopɔn nam onipa nneyɛe so na obu no bem, na ɛnnam ne gyidi nko so.
25Saa ara na ɛte wɔ aguaman Rahab ho. Ne nneyɛe maa Onyankopɔn buu no bem, efisɛ ogyee Yudafo bi a wɔsomaa wɔn, boaa wɔn ma woguan faa ɔkwan foforo bi so. 26Sɛnea onipadua a honhom nni mu awu no, saa ara nso na gyidi a nneyɛe mmata ho no nso awu.
Favoritism Forbidden
1My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”2:8 Lev. 19:18 you are doing right. 9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”2:11 Exodus 20:14; Deut. 5:18 also said, “You shall not murder.”2:11 Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17 If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Deeds
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless2:20 Some early manuscripts dead? 21Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”2:23 Gen. 15:6 and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
