Pozdrav od Jude
1Od Jude, sluge Isusa Krista i Jakovljeva brata.
Pišem svima koji su pozvani živjeti u ljubavi Boga Oca i u skrbi Isusa Krista.
2Želim vam obilje Božje milosti, mira i ljubavi!
Opasnost od lažnih učitelja
3Ljubljeni prijatelji, kanio sam vam pisati o našemu zajedničkom spasenju, ali sada vidim da moram pisati o nečemu drugome: potaknuti vas da se borite za istinu Radosne vijesti.1:3 U grčkome: da se borite za vjeru. Tu nepromjenljivu istinu Bog je zauvijek dao svojemu svetom narodu. 4Kažem to zato što su se među vas uvukli neki bezbožnici koji govore da nam milost Božjega praštanja dopušta živjeti poročnim životom. Propast takvih već je odavno zapisana jer su se okrenuli protiv našega jedinoga Gospodara i Gospodina, Isusa Krista.
5Želim vas podsjetiti na to—iako to i sami dobro znate—da je Gospodin, pošto je iz Egipta izbavio cijeli izraelski narod, poslije uništio one koji mu nisu ostali vjerni. 6Sjetite se anđela koji su pogazili granicu ovlasti koju im je Bog dao te napustili svoje boravište. Bog ih drži okovane u paklenoj tami, gdje čekaju Dan suda. 7Ne zaboravite Sodomu i Gomoru te obližnje gradove u kojima su se ljudi toliko odavali izopačenu bludu da su pošli i za tijelom druge vrste. Ti su gradovi uništeni ognjem kao primjer kazne vječnim ognjem kojim će biti kažnjeni zlikovci.
8Tako i ti lažni učitelji, sanjari, i dalje žive pokvarenim životom, kaljaju svoje tijelo i ne priznaju Božju vlast te vrijeđaju Slavne.1:8 Vjerojatno zla nebeska bića. 9Čak ni arkanđeo Mihael, jedan od najmoćnijih anđela, nije se u prepirci s đavlom za Mojsijevo tijelo usudio izreći uvredljivu osudu, nego je samo rekao: “Gospodin te ukorio!” 10Ali ti se ljudi rugaju i vrijeđaju ono što ne razumiju. Kao nerazumne životinje, čine sve na što ih potiču tjelesni nagoni i tako srljaju u propast. 11Teško njima jer slijede primjer Kajina koji je ubio svojega brata, jer su, kao i Bileam, spremni učiniti sve za novac te će, poput Koraha, propasti zbog svoje pobune.
12Oni kaljaju vaša zajednička blagovanja kojima proslavljate ljubav Gospodnju i opasni su za vas jer na njima bestidno ugađaju sebi. Poput oblaka su koji suhoj zemlji ne donose kišu. Mnogo obećavaju, ali ništa ne daju. Oni su kao voćke koje u jesen ne donesu ploda. Već mrtve, i drugi put umiru kad se s korijenom iščupaju. 13Poput mahnitih su morskih valova što se pjene vlastitim sramotama, poput lutajućih zvijezda koje će završiti u vječitoj, mračnoj tmini.
14Patrijarh Henok, koji je živio sedam naraštaja nakon Adama, prorokovao je o takvim ljudima:
“Gle, Gospodin dolazi
s desettisućama svojih svetih.
15Osudit će bezbožnike za sva zlodjela
koja su počinili u svojoj pobuni i za sve uvrede što su ih bezbožni grešnici
izgovorili protiv njega.”
16Takvi su ljudi nezadovoljnici koji uvijek prigovaraju, a čine što god im se prohtije. Razmetljivi su hvalisavci i drugima laskaju da bi od njih izvukli korist.
Poziv na vjernost
17Dragi moji, sjetite se što su prorekli apostoli našega Gospodina Isusa Krista: 18Na koncu vremena doći će izrugivači koji će živjeti prema svojim bezbožnim požudama. 19Takvi među vama prave razdore. Žive prema tjelesnim nagonima jer nemaju u sebi Božjeg Duha.
20Ali vi, ljubljeni prijatelji, morate izgrađivati svoj život na temelju svoje svete vjere. Molite se kako vas upućuje Sveti Duh.1:20 U grčkome: molite se u Svetome Duhu. 21Očuvajte sebe u Božjoj ljubavi očekujući milosrđe našega Gospodina Isusa Krista za vječni život! 22Budite milosrdni prema onima koji se kolebaju u vjeri. 23Spašavajte ljude jer ih tako otimate iz samoga paklenog ognja. Ima i takvih kojima treba oprezno iskazivati milosrđe pazeći da njihovi grijesi i vas ne okaljaju.1:23 U grčkome: mrzeći i samu haljinu okaljanu njihovim tijelom.
Hvalospjev Bogu
24Sva slava Bogu, koji vas može očuvati da ne posrnete, koji će vas, čiste od grijeha i radosne, dovesti u svoju slavnu nazočnost. 25Sva slava jedinom Bogu Spasitelju kroz našega Gospodina Isusa Krista. Slava, veličanstvo, sila i vlast pripadali su mu prije početka vremena, pa mu tako pripadaju i danas, i zauvijek. Amen.
1Jude, 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 for1:1 Or by; or in Jesus Christ:
2Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
The sin and doom of ungodly people
3Dear 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. 4For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about1:4 Or individuals who were marked out for condemnation long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a licence for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord1:5 Some early manuscripts Jesus at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6And 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. 7In 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.
8In 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. 9But 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!’1:9 Jude is alluding to the Jewish Testament of Moses (approximately the first century a.d.). 10Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct – as irrational animals do – will destroy them.
11Woe 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.
12These 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. 13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved for ever.
14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to 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.’1:15 From the Jewish First Book of Enoch (approximately the first century b.c.) 16These people are grumblers and fault-finders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
A call to persevere
17But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18They said to you, ‘In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.’ 19These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
20But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.1:23 The Greek manuscripts of these verses vary at several points.
Doxology
24To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy – 25to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.
