1 Judas, 'n dienskneg van Jesus Christus en broer van Jakobus, aan die wat geroep, in God die Vader geheilig en vir Jesus Christus bewaar is:

2 Mag barmhartigheid en vrede en liefde vir julle vermenigvuldig word!

3 Geliefdes, terwyl ek alle ywer aanwend om aan julle oor ons gemeenskaplike saligheid te skrywe, het ek die noodsaaklikheid gevoel om julle deur my skrywe te vermaan om kragtig te stry vir die geloof wat eenmaal aan die heiliges oorgelewer is.

4 Want sekere mense het ingesluip wat lank tevore al opgeskryf is vir hierdie oordeel, goddelose mense wat die genade van onse God verander in ongebondenheid, en die enigste Heerser, God, en onse Here Jesus Christus verloën.

5 Maar ek wil julle daaraan herinner, al weet julle dit nou eenmaal, dat die Here, nadat Hy die volk uit Egipteland gered het, daarna die wat ongelowig was, omgebring het.

6 En die engele wat hul eie beginsel nie bewaar het nie, maar hul eie woning verlaat het, het Hy vir die oordeel van die groot dag met ewige boeie onder die duisternis bewaar;

7 soos Sodom en Gomorra en die stede rondom hulle, wat op dieselfde manier as hierdie mense gehoereer en agter vreemde vlees aangeloop het, as 'n voorbeeld gestel is, terwyl hulle die straf van die ewige vuur ondergaan.

8 Tog besoedel ook hierdie mense net so in hulle dromerye die vlees en verag die heerskappy en laster die heerlike wesens.

9 Maar toe M¡gael, die aartsengel, met die duiwel in woordestryd was oor die liggaam van Moses, het hy geen oordeel van lastering durf uitspreek nie, maar het gesê: Die Here bestraf jou!

10 Maar hierdie mense belaster alles wat hulle nie ken nie; en alles wat hulle, soos die redelose diere, op natuurlike wyse verstaan, daardeur gaan hulle te gronde.

11 Wee hulle, want hulle het die weg van Kain bewandel en om loon hulleself in die verleiding van B¡leam gestort en in die verset van Korag omgekom.

12 Hulle is skandvlekke in julle liefdemaaltye, wat sonder vrees saam fees hou en hulleself voer, waterlose wolke deur winde rondgedrywe, bome in die nasomer, wat sonder vrugte is, twee maal gestorwe, ontworteld;

13 woeste golwe van die see wat hulle eie skandes laat opskuim, dwaalsterre vir wie die donkerheid van die duisternis vir ewig bewaar word.

14 En Henog, die sewende van Adam af, het ook teen hulle geprofeteer en gesê: Kyk, die Here het gekom met sy heilige tien duisendtalle,

15 om gerig te hou oor almal en al die goddelose mense onder hulle te straf oor al hulle goddelose werke wat hulle goddelooslik gedoen het, en oor al die harde woorde wat die goddelose sondaars teen Hom gespreek het.

16 Hulle is murmureerders wat oor hul lot klae, en volgens hulle begeerlikhede wandel; en hulle mond spreek trotse woorde, terwyl hulle mense vlei ter wille van voordeel.

17 Maar julle, geliefdes, moet die woorde onthou wat tevore gespreek is deur die apostels van onse Here Jesus Christus,

18 dat hulle vir julle gesê het: In die laaste tyd sal daar spotters wees wat volgens hul eie goddelose begeerlikhede wandel.

19 Dit is hulle wat skeuring maak, sinnelike mense wat die Gees nie het nie.

20 Maar julle, geliefdes, moet julleself opbou in jul allerheiligste geloof en in die Heilige Gees bid

21 en julleself in die liefde van God bewaar, terwyl julle die barmhartigheid van onse Here Jesus Christus tot die ewige lewe verwag.

22 En aan sommige wat twyfel, moet julle barmhartigheid bewys;

23 maar ander moet julle met vrees red deur hulle uit die vuur te ruk; en ook die kleed moet julle haat wat deur sonde bevlek is.

24 Aan Hom nou wat magtig is om julle van struikeling te bewaar en julle sonder gebrek voor sy heerlikheid te stel met gejuig,

25 aan die alleenwyse God, ons Verlosser, kom toe heerlikheid en majesteit, krag en mag, nou en tot in alle ewigheid! Amen.

1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James, to those of God's selection who have been made holy by God the Father and are kept safe for Jesus Christ:

2 May mercy and peace and love be increased in you.

3 My loved ones, while my thoughts were full of a letter which I was going to send you about our common salvation, it was necessary for me to send you one requesting you with all my heart to go on fighting strongly for the faith which has been given to the saints once and for ever.

4 For certain men have come among you secretly, marked out before in the holy Writings for this evil fate, men without the fear of God, turning his grace into an unclean thing, and false to our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now it is my purpose to put you in mind, though you once had knowledge of all these things, of how the Lord, having taken a people safely out of Egypt, later sent destruction on those who had no faith;

6 And the angels who did not keep to their kingdom but went out from the place which was theirs, he has put in eternal chains and in dark night till the great day of the judging.

7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the towns near them, having like these, given themselves up to unclean desires and gone after strange flesh, have been made an example, undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 In the same way these dreamers make the flesh unclean, having no respect for authorities, and say evil of rulers.

9 Now when Michael, one of the chief angels, was fighting against the Evil One for the body of Moses, fearing to make use of violent words against him, he only said, May the Lord be your judge.

10 But these men say evil about such things as they have no knowledge of; and the things of which they have natural knowledge, like beasts without reason, are the cause of their destruction.

11 A curse on them! They have gone in the way of Cain, running uncontrolled into the error of Balaam for reward, and have come to destruction by saying evil against the Lord, like Korah.

12 These men are unseen rocks at your love-feasts, when they take part in them with you, keepers of sheep who without fear take the food of the sheep; clouds without water rushing before the wind, wasted trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots,

13 Violent waves of the sea, streaming with their shame, wandering stars for whom the darkest night is kept in store for ever.

14 The prophet Enoch, who was the seventh after Adam, said of these men, The Lord came with tens of thousands of his saints,

15 To be the judge of all, and to give a decision against all those whose lives are unpleasing to him, because of the evil acts which they have done, and because of all the hard things which sinners without fear of God have said against him.

16 These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men's position in the hope of reward.

17 But you, my loved ones, keep in memory the words which were said before by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,

18 How they said to you, In the last days there will be men who, guided by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things.

19 These are the men who make divisions, natural men, not having the Spirit.

20 But you, my loved ones, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, and making prayers in the Holy Spirit,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for life eternal through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And have pity on those who are in doubt;

23 And to some give salvation, pulling them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the clothing which is made unclean by the flesh.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to give you a place in his glory, free from all evil, with great joy,

25 To the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, let us give glory and honour and authority and power, before all time and now and for ever. So be it.