| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 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. | 1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ: |
| 2May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love. The Danger of False Teachers | 2Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. |
| 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. | 3Beloved, although I made every effort to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt it necessary to write and urge you to contend earnestly for the faith entrusted once for all to the saints. |
| 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. | 4For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. |
| 5So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful. | 5Although you are fully aware of this, I want to remind you that after Jesus had delivered His people out of the land of Egypt, He destroyed those who did not believe. |
| 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. | 6And the angels who did not stay within their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling—these He has kept in eternal chains under darkness, bound for judgment on that great day. |
| 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. | 7In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire. |
| 8In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. | 8Yet in the same way these dreamers defile their bodies, reject authority, and slander glorious beings. |
| 9But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, 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.) | 9But even the archangel Michael, when he disputed with the devil over the body of Moses, did not presume to bring a slanderous charge against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” |
| 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. | 10These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively. |
| 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. | 11Woe to them! They have traveled the path of Cain; they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam; they have perished in Korah’s 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. 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. | 12These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted. |
| 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. | 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. |
| 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 | 14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads 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.” | 15to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.” |
| 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 | 16These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage. |
| 17But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. | 17But you, beloved, remember what was foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ |
| 18They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. | 18when they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow after their own 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. | 19These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit. |
| 20But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, | 20But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying 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. | 21keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. |
| 22And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. | 22And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt; |
| 23Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. A Prayer of Praise | 23save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. |
| 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. | 24Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— |
| 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. | 25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen. |
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