Jude
New International Reader's Version
1 I, Jude, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am a brother of James.
I am sending this letter to you who have been chosen by God. You are loved by God the Father. You are kept safe for Jesus Christ.
2 May more and more mercy, peace and love be given to you.
A Warning Against the Sin of Ungodly People
3 Dear friends, I really wanted to write to you about the salvation we share. But now I feel I should write and ask you to stand up for the faith. God’s holy people were trusted with it once and for all time. 4 Certain people have secretly slipped in among you. Long ago it was written that they would be judged. They are ungodly people. They misuse the grace of our God as an excuse for sexual sins. They say no to Jesus Christ, our only Lord and King.
5 I want to remind you about some things you already know. The Lord saved his people. At one time he brought them out of Egypt. But later he destroyed those who did not believe. 6 Some of the angels didn’t stay where they belonged. They didn’t keep their positions of authority. The Lord has kept those angels in darkness. They are held by chains that last forever. On judgment day, God will judge them. 7 The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them also did evil things. They freely committed sexual sins. They committed sins of the worst possible kind. There is a fire that never goes out. Those people are an example of those who are punished with it.
8 In the very same way, these ungodly people act on their evil dreams. So they make their own bodies impure. They don’t accept authority. And they say evil things against heavenly beings. 9 But even Michael, the leader of the angels, didn’t dare to say these things. He didn’t even say these things when he argued with the devil about the body of Moses. Michael didn’t dare to judge the devil. He didn’t say the devil was guilty of saying evil things. Instead, Michael said, “May the Lord judge you!” 10 But these people say evil things against whatever they don’t understand. And the very things they do understand will destroy them. That’s because they are like wild animals that can’t think for themselves. Instead, they do what comes naturally to them.
11 How terrible it will be for them! They have followed the way of Cain. They have rushed into the same mistake Balaam made. They did it because they loved money. They are like Korah. He turned against his leaders. These people will certainly be destroyed, just as Korah was.
12 These ungodly people are like stains at the meals you share. They have no shame. They are shepherds who feed only themselves. They are like clouds without rain. They are blown along by the wind. They are like trees in the fall. Since they have no fruit, they are pulled out of the ground. So they die twice. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea. Their shame rises up like foam. They are like falling stars. God has reserved a place of very black darkness for them forever.
14 Enoch was the seventh man in the family line of Adam. He gave a prophecy about these people. He said, “Look! The Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones. 15 He is coming to judge everyone. He is coming to sentence all of them. He will judge them for all the ungodly acts they have done. They have done them in ungodly ways. He will sentence ungodly sinners for all the things they have said to oppose him.” 16 These people complain and find fault with others. They follow their own evil desires. They brag about themselves. They praise others to get what they want.
Remain in God’s Love
17 Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said would happen. 18 They told you, “In the last days, some people will make fun of the truth. They will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 They are the people who separate you from one another. They do only what comes naturally. They are not led by the Holy Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and help you when you pray. 21 And by doing these things, remain in God’s love as you wait. You are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.
22 Show mercy to those who doubt. 23 Save others by pulling them out of the fire. To others, show mercy mixed with fear of sin. Hate even the clothes that are stained by the sins of those who wear them.
Praise to God
24 Give praise to the God who is able to keep you from falling into sin. He will bring you into his heavenly glory without any fault. He will bring you there with great joy. 25 Give praise to the only God our Savior. Glory, majesty, power and authority belong to him. Give praise to him through Jesus Christ our Lord. His praise was before all time, continues now, and will last forever. Amen.
Jude
Worldwide English (New Testament)
1 I am Jude. I am a servant of Jesus Christ and I am a brother of James. I send greetings to you whom God the Father has called. He has loved you and kept you safe for Jesus Christ.
2 May God be kind to you. May he give you peace. May he love you very much.
3 My dear brothers, I wanted very much to write to you and tell you how we all are saved. But then I saw that I must write and tell you to hold very strongly to what you do believe. Fight against those who want to change it. The right way to believe has been given to God's people once for all times.
4 Some men have come in quietly. They are bad men. The holy writings told us long ago that they would be punished. These men change the blessing of our God to do the wrong things they want to do. They show by their lives that they do not belong to Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord
5 You know all these things for all times. But I want to bring them to your minds. First, the Lord saved his people from the country of Egypt. At a time after that, he killed those who did not believe in him.
6 Remember the angels also. Some of them did not keep the high place they had. But they left their home. God has them tied in chains for ever, and he is keeping them in a very dark place. He will keep them there until that big day when they will be judged.
7 Also Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities near them show what will happen. The people there had wrong ways of using sex and did wrong things that people should not do with each other. They were punished and are in fire that burns for ever. God did this to show what will happen to others.
8 And yet these men do the same wrong things. They think of and do wrong things with their bodies. They will not obey the men who rule over them. And they say wrong things about those who are great, even about the angels.
9 At one time Michael the chief angel had a quarrel with the devil about who should have the body of Moses. But he did not dare to judge the devil and say wrong things about him. He said, `May the Lord tell you to stop!'
10 But these men say wrong things about everything they do not understand. They know some things just like animals that cannot think. And they will die because they do those wrong things.
11 They will have trouble! They have lived like Cain. They have done wrong things for pay like Balaam. They have talked against those who are over them. Korah did that. And so they will die as he did.
12 These men spoil your love feasts. They are not afraid to eat and drink with you. They take care only of themselves. They are like clouds that do not give rain, and are blown around by the winds. They are like trees when their leaves are gone and they have no fruit. These trees are also dead because they have been pulled up by the roots.
13 These men are like big waves on the sea. Big waves cause much trouble. And these men also show the wrong things they do. They are like stars that have fallen from their place in the sky. A very dark place has been kept for ever in which to put these men.
14 Enoch was the seventh in Adam's family line. He spoke words from God to these men also. He said, `Listen! The Lord came with many thousands of his angels.
15 He came to judge all people and to punish all the bad people for all the wrong things they have done. And he came to punish bad people for all the wrong things that they have said against him.'
16 These men complain about the way things are. They do not like it. They do what they themselves want to do. They say big things. They say nice things to people to get what they want from them.
17 But, my dear brothers, you must remember what the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ said would happen.
18 They said to you, `At the end of time, men will come who will make fun of holy things. They will do the wrong things they themselves want to do.'
19 These are the men who make people go into different groups in the church meetings. They have only a man's heart. They do not have the Holy Spirit.
20 But you, my dear brothers, must make your lives better in the holy things you believe. Talk to God in the Holy Spirit.
21 Keep yourselves in God's love. Wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to come and help you. He will give you life that will live for ever.
22 Some people are not sure what they believe. Be kind to them by sharing in their troubles.
23 Pull them out of the fire and save them. There are other people to whom you must be kind, but be careful about it. But you must hate even the clothes that bad people have worn.
24 God can keep you from doing anything wrong. He can bring you to the place where he is great and you will be all good. You will be very happy.
25 He is the only God. And he is our Saviour through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is great! He is wonderful! He has power! He has the right to rule! He was like that before time began! He is like that now! And he will be like that for ever. Yes, he will!
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