Warning against Having Favorites
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won't treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 This is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn't it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren't they the ones who make fun of your Lord?
8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.
10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God's Law.
12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!
Faith and Works
14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don't do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn't have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn't just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn't lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
18 Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”
I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” 19 You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
20 Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. 22 Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved his faith was real by what he did. 23 This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God accepted him.” That's how Abraham became God's friend.
24 You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. 25 For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
26 Anyone who doesn't breathe is dead, and faith that doesn't do anything is just as dead!
ǂHanuoǃnâ ǀgoraǃgâs ǃoagu hâ ǃkhâikhoms
1 Ti ǀnam ǃgâsado, tā ǀkhāǁhûi re, sada ǂkhaisa ǃKhūb Jesub Xristub ǃnâ du ga ǂgomo. 2 ǃKhū hâ khoeb hîa ǂkhai ra saraba ǂgaeǂgā tsî ǃhuniǀuri ǀkhunuǂnûidasa ǂnûi hâb tsî ǀgâsa khoeb kaise ǀharexa sarana ana hâb tsîkha ga sadu ǀhaos ǃnâ ǂgâxao, 3 tsî du ga ǂoaǂamsa sarana ǂgaeǂgā hâb ǃoa “Nēs ge ǂoaǂamsa ǂnûǃkhaisa hâ” tsî ǀgâsab ǃoa “Satsa ǁnāpa mâ, tamas ka io nēpa, ti ǂai-am ǂnû hā” ti a mîo, 4 o du kha ǁnâi aitsama ǂhanuoǃnâse ǀgoraǃgâ tsî nēs ǃnâ-u ǂkhaba ǂâidi di ǀgoraǃgâ-ao kai tama hâ?
5 ǃGâise ǃgâ, ti ǀnam ǃgâsado! ǂAn du aseb ge Eloba nē ǃhūbaib di ǀgâsa khoena ge ǃkhōǂuibasen, ǂgoms ǃnâ ǃkhū tsîn nî gaosib, ǁîba ǀnam hânab ge mîmâibab di ǀumi-ao kaise. 6 Xawe du ge sado ǀgâsana kaise ǃgôaoǃnâse ge ûi-ū! Ā, ǃkhū hân ge ǁgâiǀā tsî ǁnâuǃgâǃkhaib ǃoa gere ǁgari duna. 7 ǁÎn ǂûn ge ǁnā ǃgâi ǀons sadu ge ǂgai-ūhesa ra ǃkhāǃkhā.
8 Ā, kaise nî ǂhanu ǃkhais ge ǀoasase du ga Elob Gaosib di ǂhanuba ǁnâuǀnamsa, Xoas ǃnâ i ra mîhe khami: “Sa ǀgūkhoe-ets ge sats ǁkhāts khami nî ǀnam.” 9 Xawets ga ǀkhāǁhûi rase ǀgoraǃgâ, ots ge ra ǁore tsî ǂhanub xa ǃûǂamaose ra ǁkharahe.
10 ǁNā-amaga khoe-i, ǂhanuba ra ǃkhōǀgaipe-i ga ǀgui xū-i ǁîb di-e ǃûǂam, o i ge hoaraga ǂhanub tawa ǀhapixa. 11 Elob hîa “ǃGamekhôats ge tide” ti ge mîb ǁkhāb ge ǁkhāti “ǃGamts ge tide” ti ge mî. Tsî ǃgamekhôa tamats ga i, xawets ga ǃgam, ots ge hoaraga ǂhanuba ra ǃûǂam. 12 ǁNā-amaga ǂan, tare-i ǀgui-ets ga mî tsî dī, xawets nî ǂhanub, sada ge ǃnoraǃnorab xa ǀgoraǃgâhe ǃkhaisa. 13 Elob ge ǀgoraǃgâb kao, ǀkhomoǃnâ khoe-e ǀkhom tama hâ. ǀKhomxasib ge ǀgoraǃgâsa ra dan.
ǂGoms tsî sîsengu
14 Ti ǀnam ǃgâsado, tare harebe-e hâ, Xristeǁî-i ga “Tita ge ǂgomsabeta” ti mî, xawe i ga ǃgâi sîsenga ūhâ tama io. ǁNāti ī ǂgomsa, khoe-e ǃgâiǃō kai ǁkhās a? 15 Tsî-i ga ǃgâsa-e hâo, saran tsî ǂû-e ūhâ tama-e, 16 tsî du ga ǁî-i ǃoa “ǂKhîb ǃnâ ǃgû, ǃnaese anasen î ǃgâise ǂû” ti mî tsî xawe ǁî-e sorosi ǂhâsigu ǃnâ hui tama io, o tarebe harebe-es ǁnāsa ūhâ? 17 ǁNā-amagas ge ǂgomsa sîsengu ose ǁō hâ.
18 Xawe i ge khoe-e mî ǁkhā: “Sats ge ǂgomsa ūhâ tsî tita ǃgâi sîsenga.” O ta ge “Sa ǂgomsa sîsengu ose ǁgau te, î ta ti ǂgomsa ǃgâi sîsengu ǀkha ǁgau tsi” ti nî ǃeream. 19 ǂGomts ra ǀgui Elob ǀguib hâsa? ǂHanu a! ǁGâuagu* tsîn ge nēsa ǂgom tsî ǃaob xa ra ǀkhū. 20 Sa gâretse, mâǁaets kha ǃgâi sîsengu oses ǂgomsa a harebeoǃnâ ǃkhaisa nî ǁkhāǁkhāsen? 21 Sada aboxab, Abrahamma Elob xa ǂhanu-ai kaihe tamab hâ, ǁîb ôab Isakab ge altars ai ǁguibao? 22 Nēpa a mûmûsa ǃkhais ge, ǂgoms gere ǁîb sîsengu ǀkha ǃgûǁaresa. Tsî ǁîb sîsengu ǃnâs ge ǂgoms âb ge dīǀoaǀoahesa. 23 ǁNā-amagas ge Xoas hîa “Abrahammi ge Elob ǃnâ ǂgom tsî ǁîb di ǂgoms ǃaroma ge ǂhanu-ai kaihe” ti ra mîsa a ama. Tsîb ge Elob di horesab ti ge ǂgaihe. 24 Mû du rase i ge khoe-e ǂgomsa xu ǀgui tama, xawe ǁî-i di sîsenga xu Elob xa ra ǂhanu-ai kaihe. 25 Nēs ǁkhās ge ǀai-aos, Raxabs ǀkha ge ī. ǁÎs ge sîsengu âsa xu Elob xa ge ǂhanu-ai kaihe, ǁîs ge Israelǁî ǃkhē-aokha Josuab ge sîkha sâu tsî ǀkhara daoba-u kha nî ǃgûse huio. 26 Soros ûiba ra mā gagas ose ǁō hâs ǁkhās khamis ge ǂgomsa sîsengu ose ǁō hâ.
