Jude 1

1Greetings from Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. To all those people who have been called by God. God the Father loves you, and you have been kept safe in Jesus Christ. 2All mercy, peace, and love be yours. 3Dear friends, I wanted very much to write to you about the salvation we all share together. But I felt the need to write to you about something else: I want to encourage you to fight hard for the faith that God gave his holy people. God gave this faith once, and it is good for all time. 4Some people have secretly entered your group. These people have already been judged guilty for the things they are doing. Long ago ˻the prophets˼ wrote about these people. These people are against God. They have used the grace ˻(kindness)˼ of our God in the wrong way—to do sinful things. These people refuse to accept Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. 5I want to help you remember some things that you already know: Remember that the Lord saved his people by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. But later the Lord destroyed all those people who did not believe. 6And remember the angels who had power but did not keep it. They left their own home. So the Lord has kept these angels in darkness. They are bound with everlasting chains. He has kept them to be judged on the great day. 7Also, remember the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other towns around them. They are the same as those angels. Those towns were full of sexual sin and wrong doing. They suffer the punishment of eternal fire. Their punishment is an example ˻for us to see˼. 8It is the same way with these people ˻who have entered your group˼. They are guided by dreams. They make themselves dirty with sin. They reject ˻God’s˼ authority ˻(rule)˼ and say bad things against the glorious ˻angels˼. 9Not even the archangel Michael did this. Michael argued with the devil about who would have the body of Moses. But Michael did not dare to condemn the devil with criticizing words. But Michael said, “The Lord punish you.” 10But these people criticize things they don’t understand. They do understand some things. But they understand these things not by thinking, but by feeling, the way dumb animals understand things. And these are the things that destroy them. 11It will be bad for them. These people have followed the way that Cain went. To make money, they have given themselves to following the wrong way that Balaam went. These people have fought against ˻God˼ like Korah did. And like Korah, they will be destroyed. 12These people are like dirty spots in the special meals you share together. They eat with you and have no fear. They take care of only themselves. They are clouds without rain. The wind blows them around. They are trees that have no fruit when it is time and are pulled out of the ground. So they are dead two times. 13They are like wild waves in the sea. The waves make foam. These people do shameful things like the waves make foam. These people are like stars that wander in the sky. ˻A place in˼ the blackest darkness has been kept for those people forever. 14Enoch, the seventh descendant from Adam, said this about these people: “Look, the Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy angels. 15The Lord will judge every person. The Lord is coming to judge all people and to punish all people who are against God. He will punish these people for all the evil things they have done against God. And God will punish these sinners who are against God. He will punish them for all the bad things they have said against God.” 16These people always complain and find wrong ˻in other people˼. They always do the ˻evil˼ things they want to do. They boast about themselves. The only reason they say good things about other people is to get what they want. 17Dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said before. 18The apostles said to you, “In the last times there will be people who laugh ˻about God˼.” These people do only the things they want to do—things that are against God. 19These are the people who divide you. These people do only what their sinful selves want. They don’t have the Spirit. 20But, dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up strong. Pray with the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’s love. Wait for the Lord Jesus Christ with his mercy to give you life forever. 22Help the people that have doubts. 23You need to save some people. You will be pulling them out of the fire. But be careful when you want to help other people ˻that are sinners˼. Hate even their clothes that are dirty from sin. 24He ˻(God)˼ is strong and can help you not to fall. He can bring you before his glory without any wrong in you and give you great joy. 25He is the only God. He is the One who saves us. To him be glory, greatness, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord for all time past, now, and forever. Amen.

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