Jude 1
1
1Greetings from Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.
To those who have been chosen and are loved by God the Father and have been kept safe in Jesus Christ.
2Mercy, peace, and love be yours more and more.
God Will Punish Those Who Do Wrong
3Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you about the salvation we all share together. But I felt the need to write to you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people. God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time. 4Some people have secretly entered your group. These people have already been judged guilty for what they are doing. Long ago the prophets wrote about them. They are against God. They have used the grace of our God in the wrong way—to do sinful things. They refuse to follow Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
5I want to help you remember some things you already know: Remember that the Lord#1:5 the Lord Some of the oldest and best Greek manuscripts of Jude have “Jesus” here. If “Jesus” is accepted as the original reading, it should replace “the Lord” in verse 6 as well. saved his people by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. But later he destroyed all those who did not believe. 6And remember the angels who lost their authority to rule. They left their proper home. So the Lord has kept them in darkness, bound with everlasting chains, to be judged on the great day. 7Also, remember the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other towns around them. Like those angels they were full of sexual sin and involved themselves in sexual relations that are wrong. And they suffer the punishment of eternal fire, an example for us to see.
8It is the same way with these people who have entered your group. They are guided by dreams. They make themselves dirty with sin. They reject God’s authority and say bad things against the glorious ones.#1:8 the glorious ones Literally, “the glories.” These seem to be some kind of angelic beings. 9Not even the archangel Michael did this. Michael argued with the devil about who would have the body of Moses. But Michael did not dare to condemn even the devil for his false accusations. Instead, Michael said, “The Lord punish you!”
10But these people criticize things they don’t understand. They do understand some things. But they understand these things not by thinking, but by feeling, the way dumb animals understand things. And these are the things that destroy them. 11It will be bad for them. They have followed the way that Cain went. To make money, they have given themselves to following the wrong way that Balaam went. They have fought against God like Korah#1:11 Korah He turned against Moses. See Num. 16:1-40. did. And like Korah, they will be destroyed.
12These people are like dirty spots among you—they bring shame to you in the special meals you share together. They eat with you and have no fear. They take care of only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. The wind blows them around. They are like trees that have no fruit at harvest time and are pulled out of the ground. So they are twice dead. 13Like the dirty foam on the wild waves in the sea, everyone can see the shameful things they do. They are like stars that wander in the sky. A place in the blackest darkness has been kept for them forever.
14Enoch, the seventh descendant from Adam, said this about these people: “Look, the Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy angels 15to judge everyone. He will punish all those who are against him for all the evil they have done in their lack of respect for him. Yes, the Lord will punish all these sinners who don’t honor him. He will punish them for all the evil things they have said against him.”
16These people always complain and find wrong in others. They always do the evil things they want to do. They boast about themselves. The only reason they say good things about others is to get what they want.
A Warning and Things to Do
17Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. 18They told you, “In the last times there will be people who laugh at God and do only what they want to do—things that are against God.” 19These are the people who divide you. They are not spiritual, because they don’t have the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up even stronger. Pray with the help of the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves safe in God’s love, as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy to give you eternal life.
22Help those who have doubts. 23Rescue those who are living in danger of hell’s fire. There are others you should treat with mercy, but be very careful that their filthy lives don’t rub off on you.#1:23 that … on you Literally, “hating even their undershirt that is defiled from the flesh.”
Praise God
24God is strong and can keep you from falling. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. 25He is the only God, the one who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Jude 1
1
1Judas, of Jesus Christ a servant, and brother of James, to those sanctified in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ kept — called,
2kindness to you, and peace, and love, be multiplied!
3Beloved, all diligence using to write to you concerning the common salvation, I had necessity to write to you, exhorting to agonize for the faith once delivered to the saints,
4for there did come in unobserved certain men, long ago having been written beforehand to this judgment, impious, the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness, and our only Master, God, and Lord — Jesus Christ — denying,
5and to remind you I intend, you knowing once this, that the Lord, a people out of the land of Egypt having saved, again those who did not believe did destroy;
6messengers also, those who did not keep their own principality, but did leave their proper dwelling, to a judgment of a great day, in bonds everlasting, under darkness He hath kept,
7as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, in like manner to these, having given themselves to whoredom, and gone after other flesh, have been set before — an example, of fire age-during, justice suffering.
8In like manner, nevertheless, those dreaming also the flesh indeed do defile, and lordship they put away, and dignities they speak evil of,
9yet Michael, the chief messenger, when, with the devil contending, he was disputing about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring up an evil-speaking judgment, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke thee!’
10and these, as many things indeed as they have not known, they speak evil of; and as many things as naturally (as the irrational beasts) they understand, in these they are corrupted;
11woe to them! because in the way of Cain they did go on, and to the deceit of Balaam for reward they did rush, and in the gainsaying of Korah they did perish.
12These are in your love-feasts craggy rocks; feasting together with you, without fear shepherding themselves; clouds without water, by winds carried about; trees autumnal, without fruit, twice dead, rooted up;
13wild waves of a sea, foaming out their own shames; stars going astray, to whom the gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept.
14And prophesy also to these did the seventh from Adam — Enoch — saying, ‘Lo, the Lord did come in His saintly myriads,
15to do judgment against all, and to convict all their impious ones, concerning all their works of impiety that they did impiously, and concerning all the stiff things that speak against Him did impious sinners.’
16These are murmurers, repiners; according to their desires walking, and their mouth doth speak great swellings, giving admiration to persons for the sake of profit;
17and ye, beloved, remember ye the sayings spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18that they said to you, that in the last time there shall be scoffers, after their own desires of impieties going on,
19these are those setting themselves apart, natural men, the Spirit not having.
20And ye, beloved, on your most holy faith building yourselves up, in the Holy Spirit praying,
21yourselves in the love of God keep ye, waiting for the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ — to life age-during;
22and to some be kind, judging thoroughly,
23and some in fear save ye, out of the fire snatching, hating even the coat from the flesh spotted.
24And to Him who is able to guard you not stumbling, and to set [you] in the presence of His glory unblemished, in gladness,
25to the only wise God our Saviour, [is] glory and greatness, power and authority, both now and to all the ages! Amen.
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