Beginning

Greeting

¹ The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— ² because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever^[a]. ³ Grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love.

⁴ I was very glad^[b] because I found some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us^[c].

Watch Out for False Teachers

⁵ And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ^[d] coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! ⁸ Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.

⁹ Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, ¹¹ because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.

Conclusion and Final Greeting

¹² Although^[e] I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face^[f], so that your^[g] joy may be complete. ¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you.

Greeting

¹ The elder, to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in the truth. ² Dear friend, I pray you may prosper concerning everything and be healthy, just as your soul prospers. ³ For I rejoiced exceedingly when the^[a] brothers came and testified to your truth, just as you are walking in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this: that I hear my children are walking in the truth.

Instructions to Gaius

⁵ Dear friend, you act faithfully^[b] in whatever you do for the brothers, even though they are strangers^[c]. ⁶ They have testified to your love before the church; you will do well to send them^[d] on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ For they have gone out on behalf of the name, accepting nothing from the pagans.^{[e] 8} Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become fellow workers with the truth.

Diotrephes Causes Trouble

⁹ I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who wants to be first among them, does not acknowledge us. ¹⁰ Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to the deeds he is doing^[f], disparaging us with evil words. And not being content with these, he does not receive the brothers himself, and he hinders those wanting to do so and throws them out of the church. ¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Demetrius Commended

¹² Demetrius has been testified to by all, even by the truth itself. And we also testify to him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Conclusion and Final Greeting

¹³ I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to write to you by means of ink and pen. ¹⁴ But I hope to see you right away, and to speak face to face^[g]. ¹⁵ Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

Greeting

¹ Jude,^[a] a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, loved in God the Father and kept for^[b] Jesus Christ. ² May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

³ Dear friends, although I^[c] was making every effort to write to you concerning our common salvation, I considered it a necessity to write to you to encourage you to contend for the faith delivered once and for all to the saints. ⁴ For certain men^[d] have slipped in stealthily, who were designated long ago for this condemnation, ungodly ones, who change the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

Condemnation of the Ungodly False Teachers

⁵ Now I want to remind you, although you know everything once and for all,^[e] that Jesus,^[f] having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, the second time destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep gloom for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire^[g] in the same way as these, are exhibited as an example by^[h] undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Despite that, in the same way also these men, because of their^[i] dreams, defile the flesh and reject authority and blaspheme majestic beings. ⁹ But Michael the archangel, when he argued with the devil, disputing concerning the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But these persons blaspheme all that they do not understand, and all that they understand by instinct like the irrational animals, by these things they are being destroyed. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, and have given themselves up to the error of Balaam for gain, and have perished^[j] in the rebellion of Korah. ¹² These are the ones feasting together without reverence, hidden reefs at your love feasts, caring for themselves, waterless clouds carried away by winds, late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted, ¹³ wild waves of the sea foaming up their own shameful deeds, wandering stars, for whom the deep gloom of darkness has been reserved for eternity.

¹⁴ And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about^[k] these people, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with tens of thousands of his holy ones ¹⁵ to execute judgment against all, and to convict all the ungodly^[l] concerning all their ungodly deeds that they have committed in an ungodly way, and concerning all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. ¹⁶ These people are grumblers, discontented, proceeding according to their^[m] desires, and their mouths speaking pompous words, showing partiality to gain an advantage^[n].

Persevere in the Love of God

¹⁷ But you, dear friends, remember the words proclaimed beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ for they said to you,^[o] “In the end time there will be scoffers following according to their own ungodly desires.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, dear friends, by^[p] building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by^[q] praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt, ²³ and save others by^[r] snatching them from the fire, and have mercy on others with fear, hating even the tunic stained by the flesh.

Benediction

²⁴ Now to the one who is able to protect you from stumbling and make you to stand before his glory blameless^[s] with exultation, ²⁵ to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time and now and for all eternity. Amen.