YUD 1:4 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Because some people have quietly come into our groups who think they can take advantage of God’s grace to bring in immoral lifestyles and disowning the only master, and our boss who’s Yeshua the messiah. But they are destined for judgement.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For certain men have entered secretly, the ones long ago having been designated beforehand for this condemnation, ungodly ones, changing the grace of our God into licentiousness and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

UST I am urging you to do this because some men have crept stealthily into your meetings. They are men whom God has chosen to condemn a long time ago. They do ungodly things. They think that our God permits people to be sexually immoral because he is kind. They also oppose what is true about Jesus the Messiah, who alone owns us and rules over us.

BSB For certain men have crept in [among you] unnoticed—ungodly [ones] who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

MSB For certain men have crept in [among you] unnoticed—ungodly [ones] who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny God[fn] our only Master and [the] Lord Jesus Christ.

BLB For certain men came in stealthily, those having been designated long ago unto this condemnation, ungodly ones changing the grace of our God into sensuality and denying our only master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

AICNT For certain men have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny {our only Master and Lord},[fn] Jesus Christ.

1:4, our only Master and Lord: Or “the only Master, and our Lord.”Later manuscripts read “And denying the only Master, God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” BYZ TR ‖ The early manuscript P72 reads “the law of us, our Master and Lord.”

OEB For there have crept in among you certain godless people, whose sentence has long since been pronounced, and who make the mercy of God an excuse for profligacy, and disown our only lord and master, Jesus Christ.

WEBBE For 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 indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.

WMBB For 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 indecency, and denying our only Master, God, and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.

NET For certain men have secretly slipped in among you – men who long ago were marked out for the condemnation I am about to describe – ungodly men who have turned the grace of our God into a license for evil and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

LSV for there came in certain men stealthily, having been written beforehand to this judgment long ago, impious, perverting the grace of our God to licentiousness, and denying our only Master and Lord—Jesus Christ.

FBV For some people have quietly crept in among you. They were written about and condemned a long time ago, for they are wicked people who pervert God's grace, turning it into a license to immorality, while also denying our Lord and master Jesus Christ.

TCNT For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have crept in unnoticed. They are ungodly men who pervert the grace of our God, turning it into a license for sensuality. By doing so, they deny [fn]God, who is our only Master, and also the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:4 God, who is our only Master, and also the Lord 78.7% ¦ our only Master and Lord, ANT CT 12.9%

T4T Some people falsely teach that because God kindly does for us what we do not deserve, it ◄does not matter/is all right► if we continue to sin. Those people show by the way that they conduct their lives that they do not want to admit/accept that Jesus Christ is our only Master and Lord. It was written long ago {Someone long ago wrote} that God would condemn ◄such ungodly people/people like that whose lives are displeasing to him►. But some of those people have entered [MET] like crawling snakes into your congregations and oppose the truth about Christ, so you must resist/oppose them.

LEB No LEB YUD (JUD) 1:4 verse available

BBE 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.

Moff for certain persons have slipped in by stealth (their doom has been predicted long ago), impious creatures who pervert the grace of our God into immorality and disown our sole liege and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Wymth For certain persons have crept in unnoticed—men spoken of in ancient writings as pre-destined to this condemnation—ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God into an excuse for immorality, and disown Jesus Christ, our only Sovereign and Lord.

ASV For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

DRA For certain men are secretly entered in, (who were written of long ago unto this judgment,) ungodly men, turning the grace of our Lord God into riotousness, and denying the only sovereign Ruler, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

YLT for there did come in unobserved certain men, long ago having been written beforehand to this judgment, impious, the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness, and our only Master, God, and Lord — Jesus Christ — denying,

Drby For certain men have got in unnoticed, they who of old were marked out beforehand to this sentence, ungodly [persons], turning the grace of our [fn]God into dissoluteness, and denying our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

1.4 Elohim

RV For there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were of old set forth unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
(For there are certain men crept in privily/secretly, even they who were of old set forth unto this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. )

SLT For certain men entered in by stealth, long ago written of beforehand for judgment, irreligious, having changed the grace of our God into licentiousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wbstr For certain men have crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJB-1769 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

KJB-1611 For there are certaine men crept in vnawares, who were before of olde ordained to this condemnation, vngodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciuiousnesse, and denying the onely Lord God, & our Lord Iesus Christ.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps For there are certayne vngodly men craftily crept in, which were before of olde ordeyned to this condemnation: They turne the grace of our God vnto wantonnesse, and denye God which is the only Lorde, and our Lorde Iesus Christe.
(For there are certain ungodly men craftily crept in, which were before of old ordained to this condemnation: They turn the grace of our God unto wantonness, and denye God which is the only Lord, and our Lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ.)

Gnva For there are certaine men crept in, which were before of olde ordeined to this condemnation: vngodly men they are which turne the grace of our God into wantonnesse, and denie God the onely Lord, and our Lord Iesus Christ.
(For there are certain men crept in, which were before of old ordained to this condemnation: ungodly men they are which turn the grace of our God into wantonness, and deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ. )

Cvdl For there are certayne craftely crept in, of which it was wrytten afore tyme vnto soche iudgement. They are vngodly, and turne the grace of oure God vnto wantanes, and denye God the onely LORDE, and oure LORDE Iesus Christ.
(For there are certain craftily crept in, of which it was written afore time unto such judgement. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our God unto wantanes, and denye God the only LORD, and our LORD Yesus/Yeshua Christ.)

TNT For ther are certayne craftely crept in of which it was write afore tyme vnto soche iudgement. They are vngodly and turne the grace of oure God vnto wantannes and denye God the only Lorde and oure Lorde Iesus Christ.
(For there are certain craftily crept in of which it was write afore time unto such judgement. They are ungodly and turn the grace of our God unto wantannes and denye God the only Lord and our Lord Yesus/Yeshua Christ. )

Wycl For summe vnfeithful men priueli entriden, that sum tyme weren bifore writun in to this dom, and ouerturnen the grace of oure God in to letcherie, and denyen hym that is oneli a Lord, oure Lord Jhesu Crist.
(For some unfaithful men privily/secretly entered, that some time were before written in to this judgement, and overturnen the grace of our God in to lechery/lust, and denyen him that is only a Lord, our Lord Yhesu Christ.)

Luth Denn es sind etliche Menschen nebeneingeschlichen, von denen vorzeiten geschrieben ist, zu solcher Strafe; die sind GOttlose und ziehen die Gnade unsers Gottes auf Mutwillen und verleugnen GOtt und unsern HErr’s JEsum Christum, den einigen Herrscher.
(Because it are several people nebeneingeschlichen, from those ancient_times written is, to/for such penalty; the are godless_(ones) and pull the grace ours God’s on/in/to willfulness and deny God and ours LORD’s Yesum Christum, the some ruler.)

ClVg Subintroierunt enim quidam homines (qui olim præscripti sunt in hoc judicium) impii, Dei nostri gratiam transferentes in luxuriam, et solum Dominatorem, et Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum negantes.[fn]
(Subthey_entered because some people/men (qui formerly/once beforescripti are in/into/on this judgement) wicked, of_God our grace transferentes in/into/on luxury/extravagancem, and only Dominatorem, and the_Master our Yesus Christ/Messiah they_denyes. )

1.4 Gratiam transferentes. Duritiam et districtionem legis: quæ dicit oculum pro oculo, dentem pro dente, temperat gratia Evangelii, in quo purgantur scelera commissa per pœnitentiam, et eleemosynæ fructus. Sed hanc gratiam transferunt impii in luxuriam qui nunc tanto licentius peccant, quanto minus vident se asperitate legis de facinoribus examinari.

1.4 Gracem transferentes. Duritiam and districtionem law: which he_says eye for with_an_eye, tooth for tooth, temperat grace of_the_Gospels, in/into/on where purgantur crimes commissa through repentance, and alms fruit. But this grace they_transfer wicked in/into/on luxury/extravagancem who/which now so_much licentius peccant, how_much minus they_see himself asperitate law from/about facinoribus examinari.

UGNT παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα, ἀσεβεῖς, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν, καὶ τὸν μόνον Δεσπότην καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ἀρνούμενοι.
(pareisedusan gar tines anthrōpoi hoi palai progegrammenoi eis touto to krima, asebeis, taʸn tou Theou haʸmōn ⱪarita metatithentes eis aselgeian, kai ton monon Despotaʸn kai Kurion haʸmōn, Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston, arnoumenoi.)

SBL-GNT παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι, οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα, ἀσεβεῖς, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν καὶ τὸν μόνον ⸀δεσπότην καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀρνούμενοι.
(pareisedusan gar tines anthrōpoi, hoi palai progegrammenoi eis touto to krima, asebeis, taʸn tou theou haʸmōn ⱪarita metatithentes eis aselgeian kai ton monon ⸀despotaʸn kai kurion haʸmōn Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston arnoumenoi.)

RP-GNT Παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι, οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα, ἀσεβεῖς, τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριν μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν, καὶ τὸν μόνον δεσπότην θεὸν καὶ κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν χριστὸν ἀρνούμενοι.
(Pareisedusan gar tines anthrōpoi, hoi palai progegrammenoi eis touto to krima, asebeis, taʸn tou theou haʸmōn ⱪarin metatithentes eis aselgeian, kai ton monon despotaʸn theon kai kurion haʸmōn Yaʸsoun ⱪriston arnoumenoi.)

TC-GNT [fn]Παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι, οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα, ἀσεβεῖς, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν [fn]χάριν μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν, καὶ τὸν μόνον δεσπότην [fn]Θεὸν καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἀρνούμενοι.
(Pareisedusan gar tines anthrōpoi, hoi palai progegrammenoi eis touto to krima, asebeis, taʸn tou Theou haʸmōn ⱪarin metatithentes eis aselgeian, kai ton monon despotaʸn Theon kai Kurion haʸmōn Yaʸsoun Ⱪriston arnoumenoi. )

1:4 παρεισεδυσαν [98.2%] ¦ παρεισεδυησαν WH [0.4%]

1:4 χαριν [99.3%] ¦ χαριτα CT [0.7%]

1:4 θεον 78.7% ¦ — ANT CT 12.9%

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3–4: Jude urged believers to defend the true teaching that they believed

In this section Jude expressed his reason for writing this particular letter. Because ungodly people had come into their church, the Christians to whom Jude was writing had to defend what they believed. These ungodly people were especially dangerous because the true believers had not recognized that the ungodly people were not really Christians. They were “fake” Christians.

4

In this verse, Jude explained the problem that faced the Christians to whom he was writing. People who did not really believe the truth about God were gathering with the real Christians. They were fake Christians.In verse 4, Jude first mentioned the people who had secretly slipped into the Christian congregation. Jude mentioned them many more times in this letter, but he referred to them with a pronoun, not a name or descriptive phrase. In order to refer to them clearly in these Notes, they are called fake Christians. This matches Jude’s distinctive description of them here in verse 4.Other writers have referred to these people as “false teachers,” “ungodly men,” or “ungodly people.” Each of these has some difficulty:False teachers: While the texts from which Jude chose his illustrations may imply that these people were teachers or leaders, Jude nowhere directly described them as such. The people Jude had in mind may have included some people who were not teachers or leaders.Ungodly men: Were there no women among these fake Christians? Jude does not say specifically.Ungodly men and ungodly people: To call these fake Christians “ungodly men” or “ungodly people” does not distinguish them from other groups of people in this letter. Jude also referred to ungodly people who were not part of this group, for example, the “ungodly” in verse 15.Therefore, in these Notes, “fake Christians” refers to the people whom Jude described as people who had secretly slipped in among the true believers.

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder 4a–c as shown in the Display. The Notes will use this order in the discussion that follows.

4a

For certain men

I am writing this letter to you^(plur) because some people

For: The Greek conjunction gar that the BSB translates here as For connects verse 4 with verse 3. It indicates that verse 4 is a reason for an ideaThere are two interpretations as to what this was in verse 3:(1) The presence of these fake Christians was the reason Jude wrote this letter.(2) The presence of these fake Christians was the reason why the true believers needed to contend for the Christian faith.Most English versions are ambiguous, allowing for either interpretation. For languages that must select one of the two interpretations, interpretation (1) is recommended in the Notes, because it implies both interpretations. Because Jude said in verse 3 that he wrote this letter in order to encourage the readers to contend for the Christian faith, translating according to interpretation (1) implies interpretation (2) as well. in verse 3. If your language requires you to say what that idea is, the context shows that it is the reason that Jude wrote this letter. In order to make this connection clear, you may need to make this explicit. For example:

I am writing these things to you because there are certain men among you…

For languages that normally place the reason first, it may be more natural to change the order of verses 3 and 4. See the general comment on 3–4 at the end of the notes for 4f for an example.

certain men: The Greek word that the BSB translates here as men can also refer to people in general. For example:

Certain people (NJB)

certain persons (NASB)

Some people (GW, NCV)

4b

have crept in among you unnoticed—

who pretend to believe in Jesus Christ have infiltrated your^(plur) group.
who say they believe in Jesus Christ, but who really do not, have joined your^(plur) congregation/church.

have crept in among you unnoticed: This is a metaphor. Jude used it to describe how the fake Christians had deceived the true Christians. When the fake Christians joined the church, the true Christians were unaware that these fake Christians did not really believe the truth.

unnoticed: Jude indicated here that the fake Christians hid their wrong beliefs when they joined this group of believers. It was not a secret that they had joined the group. Jude’s readers did not realize that these fake Christians did not really believe the truth. Some ways to say this are:

^4acertain people ^4bhave infiltrated your group.

^4acertain people ^4bwho pretend to believe have joined your group.

^4acertain people, ^4bwho say they believe, but who really do not, have joined your group.

A general comment at the end of the notes for 4f shows that 4a–f may be reordered, with 4d placed earlier in the verse. In some languages, this may be more natural.

4c

ungodly ones

They do not respect God.
These people do not acknowledge that God has authority over them.

ungodly ones: Jude described the fake Christians as ungodly, because they did not respect God or his authority. Because these people did not respect God’s authority over them, they lived sinful lives. Other ways to say this include:

They do not respect God.

They do not respect the authority of God over them.

ones: The BSB has supplied the word ones to refer to people in general. For example:

godless people (GNT)

ungodly persons (NASB, RSV)

4d

who were designated long ago for condemnation.

Long ago the punishment/doom of these men was written about.
A long time ago it was written that these men would be condemned.
The Scriptures that were written long ago say that God will judge and punish them.

who were designated long ago for condemnation: Jude described the people he had mentioned in 4a as people who were designated long ago for condemnation.

were designated: In this context there are several ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as were designated:

It means written about. For example:
the prophets wrote about these people (NCV) (CEV, GW, NCV, NIV, GNT)
It means that either the people or their punishment was designated or determined. For example:
The fate of such people was determined long ago. (NLT)
who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. (NASB) (BSB, KJV, NLT, NRSV, RSV, NASB, NET, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Jude probably meant that their condemnation was written about in the Old Testament. This interpretation is used in the Meaning Lines of the Display.

In the main section of this letter, verses 5–19, Jude used many examples from the Old Testament. However, he also used some examples that are not from the Old Testament (see verses 9, 14–15, 17–18). Therefore, it is best not to specify where the condemnation of these people was written about. However, if your language requires you to make explicit where this was written, you may use your key term for “scripture.” For example:

scripture (REB)

the Scriptures (GNT, CEV)

Jude did not mean that the scriptures contained a list of the names of these people. Instead, he meant that God had said in the scriptures that he would punish people who sinned like these people did.

condemnation: The word condemnation refers here to God judgingFrom the parallel passage of 2 Peter 2:9, Jude was apparently referring to the judgment which God will speak against them on the last day. This is true regardless of which letter was written first. these people and condemning them. This condemnation implies two ideas:

God would judge them and pronounce them “guilty” of certain sins. Jude listed these sins in 4e–f.
This condemnation also included the punishment that they would receive because of these sins.

Some English versions also imply both of these ideas. For example:

…long ago the Scriptures warned that these godless people were doomed (CEV)

4e–f

In 4e–f, Jude mentioned two ways in which these people showed that they did not respect God.

4e

They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality,

They say/believe that since our^(incl) God is kind to people, they may live/behave immorally,
They use the fact that our^(incl) God forgives people who sin as an excuse for them to continue to sin sexually.

They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality: These fake Christians were using God’s grace as an excuse to do whatever they wanted to do. They were saying that since God is kind and forgives people when they sin, it was therefore acceptable to continue to behave immorally.Paul spoke against this false teaching in Romans 5:20–6:2.

the grace: In this context, grace refers to God’s kindness towards human beings and his desire to forgive their sins. God showed this kindness by sacrificing his Son, Jesus Christ, to enable people to have fellowship with God. The grace of God made Jesus willing to suffer and die to save human beings from being damned because of their sins. For example, the NLT translates the grace as:

God’s forgiveness (NLT)

See grace in the Glossary.

our God: Several versions omit our (CEV, GW, JBP, NLT). The Greek text includes this idea. Jude referred to God as our God, to indicate the close relationship that he and the true believers had with God.

However, in some languages, using a pronoun like our with God might communicate a wrong meaning, such as:

God belonged to Jude and his readers like a possession.
There is another god.
The fake Christians claimed to worship a different god, other than the true God.

If saying our God might communicate wrong meaning (a), you could say:

the God we worship

God, whom we worship

If saying our God might communicate wrong meaning (b) or (c), you could omit our.

a license for immorality: The fake Christians acted as if they could sin freely. Some other ways this has been translated are:

to excuse their immoral ways (GNT)

an opportunity for immorality (JBP)

a reason for sexual sin (NCV)

allows us to live immoral lives (NLT)

immorality: The immorality to which Jude referred included sexual sin, but also other sins. If your language has a word, phrase, or idiom that definitely includes sexual sin but could also include other sins, it may be a good choice here.

4f

and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

and they deny our^(incl) only Ruler and our^(incl) Lord, Jesus Christ.
They reject Jesus Christ, who is our^(incl) only Master and our^(incl) Lord.

and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ: It is recommended that you do not use the KJV as a model for translating 4f. The KJV followed some copies of the Greek text that contain the word “God” in 4f. However, we can tell from other better copies that “God” was not part of what Jude wrote in 4f. In 4f, Jude mentioned another way that the fake Christians showed that they did not respect God: they denied Jesus Christ.

deny: The Greek word that the BSB translates here as deny means “reject [someone] or refuse to accept [him].” Some ways to translate this are:

reject (NJB)

refuse to accept (NCV)

disowning (REB)

The manner in which these fake Christians were denying Jesus Christ may have been:

by what they said, in words only.
by their actions, by what they did.
by both their words and their actions.

From what Jude wrote in this letter, it is obvious that the fake Christians denied and rejected Jesus by both their words and their actions. Therefore, it is good to use an expression that includes both words and actions. However, if you need to choose between words and actions, it is recommended that you refer to sinful actions.

Christ: The Greek word that the BSB translates here as Christ is part of the name, Jesus Christ, so it should be translated as a name. See Christ in the Glossary.

Master and Lord: The Greek word that the BSB translates here as Master described the someone over the servants or slaves, the head of a household, or a ruler with absolute authority.

The Greek word that the BSB translates as Lord is the word that New Testament writers normally used to speak of Jesus as leader or chief. See Lord in the Glossary.

The two Greek words, translated Master and Lord, have almost the same meaning. Jude used them together to emphasize that Jesus has total or absolute authority.

Try to find two words or phrases in your language that speak about the highest authorities. If possible, make sure that one of these is how you normally refer to Jesus as Lord. However, if you can find only one suitable word or phrase, then translate these two Greek words with one expression.

General Comment on 3–4

As the notes for 4a mentioned, verse 4 gives the reason for verse 3. Because of the fake Christians, Jude felt that he needed to write this letter urging his readers to defend the faith.

In many languages, it is normal to put the reason for an action first. If this is true in your language, you may need to reorder verses 3 and 4. For example:

^4aBecause certain people ^4bwho pretend to believe have joined your group, ^3dI felt the need to write this letter to you ^3eto urge you to defend the faith….

^4aHowever, certain people ^4bwho say they believe in God, but who really do not, have joined your group. ^3dTherefore, I must write ^3eto ask you to contend for the faith….

General Comment on 4a–f

In some languages it is more natural to reorder 4a–f, placing 4d later in the verse. There are two options:

4d may be placed right after 4b. For example:
^4aFor certain persons ^4bhave crept in unnoticed, ^4dthose who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ^4cungodly persons ^4ewho turn the grace of our God into licentiousness ^4fand deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (NASB)
4d may be placed after 4f. For example:
^4aFor some ^4cgodless people ^4bhave slipped in unnoticed among us, ^4epersons who distort the message about the grace of our God in order to excuse their immoral ways, ^4fand who reject Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord. ^4dLong ago the Scriptures predicted the condemnation they have received. (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γάρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: παρεισέδυσαν Γάρ τινές ἄνθρωποι οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τό κρίμα ἀσεβεῖς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν καί τόν μόνον Δεσπότην καί Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἀρνούμενοι)

Here, For indicates that Jude is giving a reason for why he said in the previous verse that he wants his readers to “contend for the faith.” Alternate translation: [I want you do to this because]

παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι

sneaked_in (Some words not found in SR-GNT: παρεισέδυσαν Γάρ τινές ἄνθρωποι οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τό κρίμα ἀσεβεῖς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν καί τόν μόνον Δεσπότην καί Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἀρνούμενοι)

Alternate translation: [For some men have snuck in unnoticed] or [For some men have come in without drawing attention to themselves]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

παρεισέδυσαν γάρ τινες ἄνθρωποι

In this phrase, Jude is leaving out words from this sentence that it would need in many languages in order to be complete. If this phrase is required in your language, it can be supplied from verse [12](../01/12.md). Alternate translation: [For certain men have entered secretly into your love feasts] or [For certain men have entered secretly into your gatherings]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα

¬which long_ago ˓having_been˒_previously_written for this (Some words not found in SR-GNT: παρεισέδυσαν Γάρ τινές ἄνθρωποι οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τό κρίμα ἀσεβεῖς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν καί τόν μόνον Δεσπότην καί Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἀρνούμενοι)

If your language does not use this passive form having been designated, you could state who did the action. Alternate translation: [men whom God long ago designated beforehand for this condemnation]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εἰς τοῦτο τὸ κρίμα

for this into (Some words not found in SR-GNT: παρεισέδυσαν Γάρ τινές ἄνθρωποι οἱ πάλαι προγεγραμμένοι εἰς τοῦτο τό κρίμα ἀσεβεῖς τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν καί τόν μόνον Δεσπότην καί Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἀρνούμενοι)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun condemnation with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [to be condemned]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἀσεβεῖς

ungodly_‹ones›

Here, ungodly ones refers to the “certain men” mentioned at the beginning of the verse. They are the false teachers Jude is warning his readers about. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this term explicitly. Alternate translation: [ungodly false teachers]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα μετατιθέντες εἰς ἀσέλγειαν

Here, God’s grace is spoken of as if it were a thing that could be changed into something sinful. If this would be confusing in your language, you could translate this plainly. The false teachers were teaching that believers could do sexually immoral acts because God’s grace allowed it. Paul addressed this kind of false teaching when he wrote in Romans 6:1–2a: “Should we continue in sin so that grace may abound? May it never be!” Alternate translation: [teaching that God’s grace permits licentiousness]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμῶν & ἡμῶν

˱of˲_us & ˱of˲_us

Both occurrences of our in this verse refer to all believers.

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν χάριτα

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun grace with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: [the kind acts of our God]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

εἰς ἀσέλγειαν

for into wantonness

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun licentiousness with an adjective phrase. Alternate translation: [into licentious behavior]

τὸν μόνον Δεσπότην καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ἀρνούμενοι

Alternate translation: [teaching that Jesus Christ is not our Master and Lord]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὸν μόνον Δεσπότην καὶ Κύριον ἡμῶν

Here, Lord means “the person who is lord over us” or “the person who rules over us.” The conjunction and indicates that our also applies back to only Master, meaning “the person who owns us.” Alternate translation: [the only person who owns us and rules over us]

Parallel YUD 1:4

Section 3–4: Jude urged believers to defend the true teaching that they believed

4

4a

4b

4c

4d

4e–f

4e

4f

General Comment on 3–4

General Comment on 4a–f