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!
Inamu tala olupe lomunhu
1 Ovamwatate, eshi mu na eitavelo kOmwene wetu Jesus Kristus, Omwene wefimano, inamu kala nokutala olupe lomunhu. 2 Osheshi moshiongalele sheni ngeenge tamu uya omulumenhu a djala okalinga koshingoldo noikutu youkengeli, ndele tamu uya yo ohepele e noshikutu shoinyanyu, 3 ndele tamu tale kwaau a djala oikutu youkengeli ndele tamu ti kuye: “Kala omutumba ponhele ei iwa,” ndele kohepele tamu ti: Ove kala ofika kwi, ile: “Kala omutumba apa poshilyatelo sheemhadi dange,” 4 ngeenge ongaha, inamu likondjifa munye vene nomwa ninga ovatokoli mu nomadiladilo mai?
5 Ovamwatate ovaholike, pwilikineni, Kalunga ina hoolola hamba ava va talwa kounyuni ou eehepele, va ninge oipuna meitavelo novafyuululi vouhamba ou wa udanekelwa ovo ve mu hole? 6 Ndelenee nye omwa dina ohepele. Ava have mu hepifa ndele tave mu twala kovatokoli, haipuna hamba? 7 Havo tuu ovo hava sheke edina eli liwa mwe li lukilwa?
8 Ngeenge tamu wanifa omhango onghwahamba pamishangwa nokutya: “Hola omukweni ngaashi u lihole ove mwene, opo nee tamu ningi nawa;” 9 ndelenee ngeenge otamu tale olupe lomunhu, otamu tula etimba, omhango notai mu tokola onye ovanyoni. 10 Osheshi ou ta wanifa omhango aishe, ndele ta nyono shimwe, oye oku netimba laaishe. 11 Osheshi ou a tile: “Ino nyona ohombo,” Oye a tya yo: “Ino dipaa.” Hano ove nande ino nyona ohombo, ndelenee ove to dipaa, owa ninga omutauluki womhango. 12 Kaleni hano hamu tongo ndele hamu longo ngaashi ovo tava ka tokolwa komhango yemanguluko. 13 Osheshi etokolo kali nonghenda naau ehe nonghenda, nonghenda otai litange kombada yetokolo.
Eitavelo lihe noilonga ola fya
14 Ovamwatate, otashi kwafa shike, umwe ngeenge ta ti oku neitavelo, ndelenee ye ehe noilonga? Eitavelo eli otali dulu oku mu xupifa tuu mbela? 15 Ngeenge pe nomumwatate omulumenhu ile omumwatate omukainhu e li hamunghele, nokwa hepa oipalwifa yakeshe efiku, 16 ndele umwe womunye ta ti kuvo: “Indeni nombili mu ka xuxumukwe nye mu likutife,” ndele nye inamu va pa osho sha pumbiwa kolutu, otashi kwafa shike? 17 Osho yo neitavelo, ngeenge kali noilonga ola fya mulo vene.
18 Ndele kashiimba ope na ou ta ti: “Ove ou neitavelo, naame ondi noilonga.” Ulikile nge eitavelo loye lihe noilonga, opo ame nohandi ku ulikile eitavelo lange noilonga yange. 19 Ove ho itavele kutya, Kalunga umwe, owa ninga nawa; eendemoni yo ode shi itavela ndele hadi kakama. 20 Ndelenee munhu ove wongaho, owa hala tuu u shiive kutya, eitavelo lihe noilonga, olongaho? 21 Abraham, tate yetu, ina yukipalifwa koilonga, eshi a yamba omona waye Isak koaltari? 22 U wete nee nhumbi eitavelo la longa pamwe noilonga yaye, neitavelo la wanifwa koilonga? 23 Nomushangwa owa wanifwa, ou tau ti: “Abraham okwa itavela Kalunga, ndele molweitavelo laye Kalunga okwe mu tala omuyuki,” nokwa ifanwa kaume kaKalunga. 24 Paife omu wete ko kutya, omunhu ota yukipalifwa koilonga yaye, hakeitavelo alike. 25 Osho sha li yo sha ningwa kombwada Rahab oo a yukipalifwa molwoilonga, eshi a yakulile eendadi ndele te di pitifa mondjila i lili moku va lekela. 26 Osheshi ngaashi olutu lihe nomhepo, la fya, osho yo neitavelo lihe noilonga, ola fya.
