Jude 1
1
Greetings from Jude
1This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ.#1:1 Or keeps you for Jesus Christ.
2May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.
The Danger of False Teachers
3Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
5So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus#1:5 Other manuscripts read [the] Lord, or God, or God Christ. first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. 6And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. 7And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment.
8In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.#1:8 Greek at glorious ones, which are probably evil angels. 9But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels,#1:9 Greek Michael, the archangel. did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.
12When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.#1:12 Or they are contaminants among you; or they are stains. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. 13They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.
14Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”#1:14-15 The quotation comes from intertestamental literature: 1 Enoch 1:9.
16These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
A Call to Remain Faithful
17But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
20But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,#1:20 Greek pray in the Holy Spirit. 21and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22And you must show mercy to#1:22 Some manuscripts read must reprove. those whose faith is wavering. 23Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,#1:22-23a Some manuscripts have only two categories of people: (1) those whose faith is wavering and therefore need to be snatched from the flames of judgment, and (2) those who need to be shown mercy. but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.#1:23b Greek with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
A Prayer of Praise
24Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
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Jude 1: NLT
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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Jude 1
1
1This letter comes from Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and James' brother. I am writing to those who are called and loved by God the Father, and who are kept safe by Jesus Christ: 2May God's mercy, peace, and love increase in your experience!
3My friends, I was already looking forward to writing to you about the salvation that we share. But now I need to write urgently to you and encourage you to vigorously defend the truth about God,#1:3. Literally: “faith,” or “belief.” given once and for all time#1:3. “Given once and for all time”: since God revealed the truth about himself at many different times in history, probably the idea here is the consummate revelation of God by himself in the Person of Jesus. to God's holy people. 4For some people have quietly crept in among you. They were written about and condemned a long time ago, for they are wicked people who pervert God's grace, turning it into a license to immorality, while also denying our Lord and master Jesus Christ.
5Even though you already know this, I want to remind you that though the Lord saved his people out of the land of Egypt, later he still destroyed those who disbelieved. 6Even those angels that were not content with their God-given positions but abandoned their rightful places—he has placed them in eternal chains of darkness until the great Day of Judgment. 7In just the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns nearby that pursued immorality and perverted sex are provided as an example of those that experience the punishment of eternal fire.#1:7. Eternal in the sense of consequence, not in duration—as is obvious from the context in that this “eternal” aspect ends with the judgment. The same applies to the “eternal fire” in verse 7 that is exemplified by Sodom and Gomorrah—the effects are eternal, but the towns are not burning now, nor “forever.”
8Likewise these dreamers#1:8. The reference is to the people mentioned in verse 4. pollute their bodies, disregard authority, and insult heavenly beings. 9Even the archangel Michael, when he was arguing with the devil over Moses' body, didn't dare to condemn him with a slanderous insult, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you.” 10But these people ridicule whatever they don't understand; and what they do understand they instinctively follow like unthinking animals—this is what destroys them. 11They're in terrible trouble! For they have followed Cain's way. Like Balaam and his delusion, they have abandoned themselves to the profit motive. Like Korah and his rebellion, they have destroyed themselves. 12These people spoil your fellowship meals, for they are selfish shepherds that don't have the slightest sense of shame—they only take care of themselves. They're clouds blown along by the wind that bring no rain. They're bare trees without fruit—twice dead, pulled out by the roots. 13They're violent ocean waves, foaming in their own disgrace. They're false stars, doomed forever to utter darkness.
14Enoch, seven generations on from Adam, spoke prophetically about these people: “Look! The Lord is coming, together with thousands and thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, to reveal all the wicked things people have done, and all the terrible things hostile sinners have said against him.” 16Such people are grumblers, always complaining. They follow their own evil desires, speaking boastfully about themselves, and flattering others to get what they want.
17But you, my dear friends, please remember what you were told by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18They explained to you that in the last times mockers would come, following their own wicked desires.#1:18. See 2 Peter 3:3. 19They cause divisions; they are worldly people who don't have the Spirit.
20But you, my friends, are to build yourselves up through your trust in God. Pray in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves safe in God's love, and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ who brings eternal life. 22Show kindness to those who doubt. 23Save those you can by snatching them out of the fire. Show mercy—but with great care, hating even the “clothing” that is contaminated by sinful human nature.#1:23. In other words, while being merciful to the sinner, be very careful about the “sinful clothing” human beings have on them, so as to avoid becoming “infected” yourself.
24Now to him who can keep you from falling,
and who can bring you into his glorious presence without fault, and with great joy,
25to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now, and forever.
Amen.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com