Jude, a servant of ‘ISA1 AL-MASIH2, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and kept for ‘ISA AL-MASIH: 2Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
3Beloved, while I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4For there are certain men who crept in secretly, even those who were long ago written about for this condemnation: ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lewdness, and denying our only Master and Lord, ‘ISA AL-MASIH.
5Now I desire to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord3, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6Angels who did not keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8Yet in like manner these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings. 9But Mikail4, the archangel, when contending with Iblis and arguing about the body of Musa, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” 10But these people speak evil of anything they don’t understand. What they do understand naturally, like creatures without reason, by these things they are destroyed. 11Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Qabil5, and have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in Qarun’s6 rebellion.
12These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever.
14About these also Idris7, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying,
“Behold, the Lord comes with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones, 15to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 8
16These are murmurers and complainers, walking after their lusts (and their mouth speaks proud things), showing respect of persons to gain advantage.
17But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH. 18They said to you that
“In the last time there will come mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.” 9
19These are they who cause divisions, and are sensual, not having the Spirit10.
20But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our LORD ‘ISA AL-MASIH to eternal life.
22On some have compassion, making a distinction, 23and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
24Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy, 25to God our Saviour, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
- 1:1 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 1:1 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 1:5 Lord, translated from the Greek kurios. Depending on context, it can refer to: 1. God, 2. ’ISA AL-MASIH, 3. men in authority, such as kings, landlords, etc., 4. a respectful salutation meaning, “sir.” ↩︎
- 1:9 Mikail, or Michael. ↩︎
- 1:11 Qabil, or Cain. ↩︎
- 1:11 Qarun, or Korah. ↩︎
- 1:14 Idris, or Enoch. ↩︎
- 1:14-15 Quoting 1 Enoch 1:9 which was a well-known, widely-circulated and respected book in the 1st century AD, still available to read today. ↩︎
- 1:18 Quoting the Injil, 2 Peter 3:2-3 which says: “that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that in the last days there will come mockers, walking after their own lusts.” ↩︎
- 1:19 Spirit, or Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God; not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal Spirit of God himself. The Spirit was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2), and today lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎