Kɔkɔbɔ
1Me nuanom, sɛ moyɛ agyidifoɔ wɔ Awurade Kristo animuonyam mu yi, monnyɛ animhwɛ. 2Sɛ mohyia a, ɔdefoɔ a ɔhyɛ mpɛtea ne ntade pa ne ohiani bi nso a ɔhyɛ ntadego nso tumi ba bi. 3Sɛ wode anidie ma deɛ wasiesie ne ho yie no, na woka kyerɛ no sɛ, “Tena saa akonnwa pa yi so,” na woka kyerɛ ohiani no nso sɛ, “Sɔre gyina hɔ anaa tena fam wɔ me nan ase ha” a, 4wodi fɔ sɛ wogyina atemmuo a ɛfiri adwemmɔne mu de nyiyimu abɛto mo mu no ho.
5Me nuanom adɔfoɔ, montie! Onyankopɔn yii ewiase yi mu ahiafoɔ sɛ wɔnyɛ adefoɔ wɔ gyidie mu na wɔanya ahennie a ɔhyɛɛ wɔn a wɔdɔ no no ho bɔ no. 6Nanso, moammu ahiafoɔ! Ɛhefoɔ na wɔdi mo nya twe mo kɔ atemmufoɔ anim? Adefoɔ! 7Wɔne nnipa a wɔkasa tia din pa a wɔde ama mo no.
8Ɛyɛ sɛ modi yɛn Awurade mmara a ɛka sɛ, “Dɔ wo yɔnko sɛ wo ho” no so. 9Na sɛ mohwɛ nnipa anim de gye wɔn a, modi ho fɔ na Mmara no tia mo sɛ mmaratofoɔ. 10Obiara a ɔbu mmara no mu baako pɛ so no bu ne nyinaa so. 11Ɛfiri sɛ, deɛ ɔkaa sɛ, “Nsɛe awadeɛ” no, ɔno ara nso na ɔkaa sɛ, “Nni awu.” Na sɛ woansɛe awadeɛ na wodi awu a, woabu mmara so.
12Sɛ woyɛ Kristo apɛdeɛ o, sɛ woanyɛ nʼapɛdeɛ o, wobɛbu wo ho atɛn. Enti hwɛ asɛm a woka ne deɛ woyɛ biara yie. 13Ɛfiri sɛ, obi a wanhunu mmɔbɔ no, Onyankopɔn atemmuo mu no, wɔrenhunu no mmɔbɔ. Nanso atemmuo mu mpo no, Onyankopɔn hunu mmɔbɔ.
14Me nuanom, sɛ obi ka sɛ, “Mewɔ gyidie” na ɔnni gyidie no ho dwuma a, mfasoɔ bɛn na ɛwɔ soɔ? Saa gyidie no bɛtumi agye no nkwa anaa? 15Sɛ anuanom bi wɔ hɔ a ntoma ho hia wɔn na wɔnni aduane dodoɔ nso a wɔbɛdi, 16sɛ wokɔka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, “Onyame nhyira mo! Mo ho nyɛ mo hye na monnidi yie” na sɛ woamma wɔn asetena yi mu deɛ ɛhia wɔn a, papa bɛn na woayɛ wɔn? 17Saa ara na gyidie teɛ. Sɛ nneyɛeɛ nka ho a, na awu.
18Nanso, obi bɛtumi aka sɛ, “Obi wɔ gyidie na afoforɔ nso wɔ nneyɛeɛ.”
Me mmuaeɛ ne sɛ, “Kyerɛ me sɛdeɛ obi tumi nya gyidie a nneyɛeɛ mmata ho ase. Me deɛ menam me nneyɛeɛ so bɛkyerɛ wo me gyidie.” 19Wogye di sɛ Onyankopɔn baako pɛ na ɔwɔ hɔ? Ɛyɛ! Ahonhommɔne nso gye di saa ara na wɔn ho popo wɔ suro mu.
20Ɔkwasea! Wopɛ sɛ wɔka kyerɛ wo sɛ gyidie a nneyɛeɛ mmata ho no ho nni mfasoɔ anaa? 21Ɛyɛɛ dɛn na Onyankopɔn buu Abraham bem? Ɛnam ne nneyɛeɛ so sɛ ɔde ne ba Isak maa wɔ afɔrebukyia so no. 22Wohunu sɛ ne gyidie ne ne nneyɛeɛ nyinaa redi dwuma na ne nneyɛeɛ no maa ne gyidie no dii mu. 23Na Atwerɛsɛm no baa mu sɛ, Abraham gyee Onyankopɔn diiɛ na ɛsiane ne gyidie no enti, Onyankopɔn gyee no sɛ ɔteneneeni. Enti wɔfrɛ Abraham Onyankopɔn adamfo. 24Yei da no adi pefee sɛ Onyankopɔn nam onipa nneyɛeɛ so na ɔbu no bem, na ɛnnam ne gyidie nko so.
25Saa ara na ɛte wɔ adwaman Rahab ho. Ne nneyɛeɛ maa Onyankopɔn buu no bem, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔgyee Yudafoɔ bi a wɔsomaa wɔn, boaa wɔn ma wɔdwane faa ɛkwan foforɔ bi so. 26Sɛdeɛ onipadua a honhom nni mu awuo no, saa ara nso na gyidie a nneyɛeɛ mmata ho no nso awuo.
Favouritism forbidden
1My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 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 dishonoured 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 neighbour as yourself,’2:8 Lev. 19:18 you are doing right. 9But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as law-breakers. 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 law-breaker.
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.
