New International Version

New Living Translation

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept fora Jesus Christ:

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Greetings from Jude

This 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.a

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Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.

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May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

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The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.

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The Danger of False Teachers

Dear 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.

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For certain individuals whose condemnation was written aboutb long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

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I 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.

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Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lordc at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.

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So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesusb first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.

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And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling — these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

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And 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.

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In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

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And 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.

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In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings.

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In the same way, these people — who claim authority from their dreams — live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.c

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But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”d

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But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels,d 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.)

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Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct — as irrational animals do — will destroy them.

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But 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.

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Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.

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What 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.

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These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm — shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted — twice dead.

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When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you.e 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.

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They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

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They 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.

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Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones

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Enoch, 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

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to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”e

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to 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.”f

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These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

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These 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.

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A Call to Persevere

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.

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A Call to Remain Faithful

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted.

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They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”

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They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires.

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These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

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These 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.

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But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

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But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,g

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keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

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and 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.

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Be merciful to those who doubt;

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And you must show mercy toh those whose faith is wavering.

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save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear — hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.f

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Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others,i but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.j

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Doxology

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy —

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A Prayer of Praise

Now 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.

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to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

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All 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.

Parallel

New International Version

New Living Translation

Jude 1

Jude 1