James 2:3

Maybe you look at the man with pretty clothes and think to yourself, “He has got a lot of money.” So you are good to him, and you say to him, “Here is a really good seat for you.” But you are hard on the poor man, and you say to him, “You can stand over there,” or you say, “You can sit on the ground.” If you are like that, you make yourself like a bad judge, and that is wrong. Don’t think that way about people. You have to be good to everybody, people that have money, and people that don’t have money.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

In Context

2Suppose one man comes to your meeting wearing really pretty clothes and gold rings on his fingers, and another poor man comes wearing old rubbish clothes.

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Cross References

Luke 7:44Then he turned towards the woman and said, “Simon, look at this woman. When I came into your house, you didn’t give me water to wash my feet, but she washed my feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair.

James 2:6So, if you rubbish poor people, you are wrong. Think about this. Who is hard on you? What people take you to court? Do poor people do that, or rich people? Rich people do it.

Matthew Henry on James 2:2-8

Regard Due to Poor Christians; Partiality Condemned. ( a. d. 61.) 1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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