The Only Good News

⁶ I am amazed that you are so quickly ·turning away from [deserting; forsaking] ·God [^Lthe one] who called you by ·his grace given through Christ [^Lthe grace of Christ], and are believing ·something different than the Good News [^La different Gospel]. ⁷ ·Really, there is no other Good News [^L…which is not another]. But some people are ·confusing [troubling; disturbing] you; they want to ·change [distort] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. ⁸ But even if we ourselves or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a different message than the Good News we preached, ·we should be [^Llet him be] ·judged guilty [condemned; accursed; ^Lanathema]! ⁹ I said this before, and now I say it again: If anyone is preaching a different message than the one you received, ·that person should be [^Llet him be] ·judged guilty [condemned; accursed; ^Lanathema]!

³ But there must be ·no [no hint/mention/rumor of] sexual sin among you, or any kind of ·evil [impurity] or greed. Those things are not ·right [proper; fitting] for God’s holy people. ⁴ Also, there must be no ·evil talk [obscenity; filthiness] among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell ·evil [crude; coarse; vulgar] jokes. These things are ·not right for you [out of place/character]. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. ⁵ [^LFor] You can be sure of this: No one will have a ·place [inheritance] in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does ·evil [impure] things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is ·serving a false god [^Lan idolater].

⁶ Do not let anyone ·fool [deceive] you ·by telling you things that are not true [or with shallow philosophies; ^Lwith empty words], because these things will bring God’s ·anger [wrath] on ·those who do not obey him [^Lthe children/sons of disobedience]. ⁷ So ·have nothing to do with them [or do not partner/associate with them].

¹⁰ That punishment is especially for those who ·live by doing the evil things their sinful selves want [^Lgo after the flesh with defiling passion/lust] and who ·hate [despise] authority [Jude 8].

These false teachers are bold and ·do anything they want [arrogant; self-willed]. They ·are not afraid [^Ldo not tremble] to ·speak against [slander; blaspheme] ·the angels [^Lthe glorious ones; ^Cprobably angelic beings; unclear whether referring to good or evil angels; Jude 8]. ¹¹ But even the angels, who are much stronger and more powerful ·than false teachers [or than the evil angels; ^Cunclear whether referring to false teachers or to “the glorious ones” (seen as evil angels) of v. 10], do not ·accuse them with insults [^Lbring a slanderous charge against them] before^[a] the Lord [see Jude 9]. ¹² But these people ·speak against [slander; blaspheme] things they do not understand. They are like ·animals that act without thinking [irrational animals], animals [of simple instinct] born to be caught and killed. And, ·like animals, these false teachers will be destroyed [or like the evil angels, these false teachers will be destroyed; ^Lin their destruction they will be destroyed; Jude 10]. ¹³ ·They have caused many people to suffer, so they themselves will suffer. That is their pay for what they have done [^L…suffering harm as the wage of unrighteousness; ^Ca wordplay based on the similarity of the Greek words translated “suffering harm” and “unrighteousness”]. They take pleasure in ·openly doing evil [doing evil/carousing in the daylight], so they are like dirty spots and ·stains [blemishes] among you. They delight in deceiving you while ·eating meals [or feasting] with you [^Cperhaps an allusion to the fellowship meal, or “love feast,” celebrated with the Lord’s Supper; Jude 12]. ¹⁴ ·Every time they look at a woman they want her [^LThey have eyes full of adultery], and ·their desire for sin is never satisfied [or they never stop sinning]. They ·lead weak people into the trap of sin [ensnare/entice/lure unstable people/souls], and they have ·taught [exercised; trained] their hearts to be greedy. ·God will punish them [^LAccursed children; ^Cunder God’s curse]! ¹⁵ These false teachers ·left [abandoned] the ·right [or straight] road and ·lost their way [wandered away; went astray], following the way Balaam went. Balaam, the son of ·Beor [or Bosor], loved ·being paid for doing wrong [^Lthe wages of unrighteousness; Num. 25; 31:16; Rev. 2:14]. ¹⁶ But a donkey, which cannot talk, ·told Balaam he was sinning [^Lrebuked his wrongdoing]. It spoke with a ·man’s [human] voice and stopped the prophet’s ·crazy thinking [madness; Num. 22:21–35; Jude 11].

¹⁷ Those false teachers are like ·springs [or wells] without water and ·clouds [or mists] blown by a ·storm [whirlwind; squall; Jude 12]. A place in the ·blackest [deepest; ^Lgloomy] darkness has been kept for them [Jude 12—13]. ¹⁸ They ·brag with [speak with bombastic, boastful] words that ·mean nothing [are empty]. By their ·evil [fleshly] desires they ·lead people into the trap of sin—[entice] people who ·are just beginning to escape [or have barely escaped] from others who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom [^Cperhaps from the law or from fear of judgment], but they themselves are not free. They are slaves of ·things that will be destroyed [corruption; depravity]. For people are slaves of anything that ·controls [masters; overpowers; defeats] them [^Cthis last sentence may be a common proverb].