Yudas (Jude)

Note: This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

Note: This Readers' Version is a translation into contemporary English aimed at the person on the street who hasn't necessarily been brought up with exposure to Biblical jargon and/or 500-year old English. (It's designed to be used alongside the Literal Version which gives the English reader a window into what's actually written in the original languages. (See the introduction for more details—we recommend that you read the introduction first if you're wanting to read and understand the Literal Version.) Between the two versions you should be able to easily read the clear message of the text, while at the same time being able to check for yourself if that's a fair translation of what the original authors had inked onto their ancient manuscripts.)

Note that greyed words are words that the translators consider were most probably in the mind of the writer, but as none of us can double-check with the original speakers or writers, the reader is free to disagree. They are clearly marked because we have tried to be as honest / transparent as possible.

Introduction

Author

This letter was written by Yudas the younger brother of Yacob. (Note that he wasn’t the Yudas who handed Yeshua over to the Jewish religious leaders. Note also that Yudas is mistakenly called Yude in most English Bibles, and Yacob is quite wrongly called James in most English Bibles.)

This letter

We don’t know which group of believers that this letter was sent to. Here in this letter, Yudas warns the believers about teachers of false doctrines who teach that it’s okay for believers to continue sinning since they’ll just be forgiven due to God’s mercy. That’s the reason Yudas wrote this, to warn the believers so that they won’t fall for false beliefs, but instead will continue to follow the true teaching that came from God. He also encourages the readers that it’s necessary to strive to continue in their faith in God along with turning away from evil actions.

Main components of Yudas’ letter

Introduction 1-2

The work and judgement of false teachers 3-16

Warnings and teaching 17-23

The need to honour God 24-25

This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

It is our prayer that this Readers' Version of the Open English Translation of the Bible will give you a clear understanding of the accounts and messages written by the God-inspired Biblical writers.

Salutation; Greetings from Jude; The danger of false belief

1 [ref]This letter is from Yudas, a slave of Yeshua the messiah, and brother of Yacob. It’s written to all those who have been called and loved by God the father and who have kept believing in Yeshua the messiah.

2 I pray that you all will experience God’s mercy and peace, and a bountiful supply of love.

1:3 The judgement of false-teachers and god-rejecters

Occasion of the Letter; The Danger of False Teachers; The sin and doom of Godless men

3 Friends, I was so enthusiastic to write to you concerning our salvation that we have in common, but I needed to write to you all, encouraging you to stand strong for the teaching that was entrusted to the believers at a certain point in time. 4 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.

Judgment on False Teachers

5 [ref]Now I want to remind you that although you all know how Yeshua rescued our people out of Egypt, yet at the same time he destroyed the ones who didn’t believe. 6 Even the messengers who broke their own rules and left their own domain have been held in eternal chains in the darkness until the time of judgement in the great day. 7 [ref]Similarly Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them stay in our minds as an example of the judgement of eternal fire due to similar sexual perversions.

8 in the same way these dreamers defile their own bodies while rejecting authority and dishonouring those who should be honoured. 9 [ref]Even Michael, one of the top messengers, when he was arguing with the devil about Mosheh’s body, he didn’t belittle him, but left it to Yahweh to punish him. 10 But these people mock what they don’t even grasp, but they’ll be destroyed by what their animal instincts do understand. 11 Oh dear! Because they’ve followed the actions of Cain[ref] and have embraced the deception of Balaam[ref] for monetary gain, so too they’ll perish like Korah’s destruction.[ref] 12 These are the people who ruin your love feasts when they eat without shame and only look after themselves. They’re like clouds that are blown away by the wind without bringing the needed rain or trees that don’t produce any fruit then are doubly useless by falling over; 13 like wild waves in the ocean that foam in their own shame or like unreliable wandering stars that are already doomed to the darkest darkness in the next age.

14 [ref]Enoch (the seventh generation from Adam) prophesied way back then about these people, “Look, Yahweh, surrounded by tens of thousands of his holy messengers, came 15 to sentence everybody and to punish everyone who rejected God for everything they did that demonstrated this rejection and everything they said against him.” 16 This includes their grumbling and complaining, the fulfilling of their own lustful desires, the arrogant way that they spoke, and their flattering of others in order to gain from them.

1:17 Keep your faith and keep ministering to others

Warnings and Exhortations; Warnings and Instructions; A Call to Remain Faithful; A call to persevere

17 But you, friends, always be thinking about how the missionaries of our master Yeshua the messiah 18 [ref]told you that mockers near the end of time would come out following their own god-rejecting lusts. 19 These people will cause division as they just demonstrate sensuality since they don’t know God’s spirit. 20 But you, friends, work to increase your faith in God, praying as the holy spirit helps you. 21 Keep receiving God’s love as you look forward to living forever thanks to the mercy of our master, Yeshua the messiah.

22 Show grace to those still doubting 23 whereas others need to be ‘snatched out of the fire’ in order to be saved. To some, show mercy but very carefully, hating even their clothes which reflect their crude lifestyles.

1:24 Honouring God

Doxology; Benediction; A Prayer of Praise

24-25 Our master, Yeshua the messiah, is the infallible one who is quite capable of looking after all of us so that we can stand blameless in front of him and praise him in his full honour and greatness. Let us honour and praise our only God and saviour, acknowledging his greatness and power and authority through Yeshua from before the creation, right through these current times, and in the age to come. May it be so.