15
In this verse, Jude continued to quote a prophecy made by Enoch. This quotation started at 14c and ends at 15d.
This verse repeats the word for “ungodly” several times for emphasis. See the general comment at the end of the notes for 15d for translation suggestions.
15a
to execute judgment on everyone: The prophecy indicates here that the Lord will execute judgment on everyone when he returns. However, he will “convict” (15b) only the “ungodly” people (15b–d).
to execute judgment: In this context, the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as to execute judgment means “to say publicly whether someone is guilty or not guilty.” It does not include the idea of deciding punishment. Here are some other ways to translate the word execute:
declare
-or-
pronounce/announce
-or-
proclaim
everyone: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as everyone is literally “all.” It refers to all human beings. This includes both righteous people and unrighteous people.
15b
and to convict: In this context, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to convict means “to declare someone to be guilty and to sentence the guilty person to be punished.” Some other ways that English versions translate this include:
to sentence (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
to condemn (Good News Translation)
-or-
to punish (New Century Version)
all the ungodly: Copies of the Greek text differ about the phrase that is used here:
(1) Some copies have a phrase that means all the ungodly. Most English versions follow these copies. (Some of these versions leave the idea all implicit.) For example:
all the godless (Revised English Bible)
-or-
all the ungodly (New American Standard Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Revised English Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version)
(2) Some other copies have a phrase that means “every soul.” Some English versions follow these copies. For example:
every person (NET Bible)
(NET Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow option (1).
ungodly: The Greek word asebeias, which the Berean Standard Bible translates here as ungodly, is the same word that was used in 4c. This Greek adjective described people who did not respect God or his authority. Because they did not respect God’s authority over them, they lived sinful lives. Ways to translate this include: (Although the word “ungodly” includes the English word for God, this is not true in Greek (The Greek word is asebeis.) It is not necessary in other languages to include a word for “god” in the expression that is used to translate this idea. Some examples of ways to translate without using a word for god are: “impious,” “irreverent,” “immoral,” or “irreligious.”)
impious
-or-
irreverent
-or-
do not respect God
In English an adjective like ungodly implies a noun like “people.” In some languages it may be necessary to include a word to clarify what ungodly describes. For example:
ungodly people (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
ungodly sinners (God’s Word)
Jude used other forms of this Greek word several times in this verse, and once in 18d.
15c
of every ungodly act of wickedness: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as of every ungodly act of wickedness can also be translated literally as “concerning all of the/their ungodly works.” These ungodly works are everything that they have done to disobey or disrespect God.
Again, Jude used another form of the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ungodly in 15b. These people did not just disobey and disrespect God, but they did it in ways that showed their disrespect of him. Some ways to say this include:
they have done in rebellion (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
which they have committed in an ungodly manner
15d
Enoch had prophesied that the Lord would convict ungodly people also for the harsh words they spoke against him. Jude had already stated that Enoch’s prophecy applied to the fake Christians that he wrote about in this letter (14b). Jude had already mentioned that these fake Christians were guilty of disrespectful speech against the Lord Jesus (8d, 10a).
and every harsh word: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as harsh word refers to talk which is disrespectful, defiant, insulting, or hurtful.
spoken against Him: This phrase refers specifically to the words they have spoken against the Lord. Enoch indicated that sinners would be punished for what they said against the Lord, not only for what they did (15c).
Him: The Greek pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as Him refers to the Lord. This pronoun refers back to “the Lord” in 14c.
by ungodly sinners: The Greek adjective that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as sinners can also be translated literally as “sinful.” Here Jude added sinful to his description of the ungodly people. This emphasized that they were guilty and deserved to be punished.
In some languages the words ungodly and sinners may be too similar to translate separately. If that is true in your language, you may need to use only one term here instead of two.
ungodly: Here Jude again used another form of the Greek word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as ungodly in 15b.
General Comment on 15a–d
In this verse, Jude repeated the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “ungodly” several times. He also used the word “sinners.” He did this to emphasize that the fake Christians were very guilty, and they deserved for the Lord to punish them. Repetition is a natural way to express this emphasis in Greek.
In some languages it may not be natural to repeat a word so many times in such a short verse. If this is true in your language, look for the most natural way to emphasize their guilt. You may be able to do this by using several different words to express the idea. For example:
to convict all ungodly people for all the immoral and evil things that they have done, and for all the harsh words sinners have spoken against him.
-or-
He will sentence/condemn all ungodly people for all of their evil and impious actions, and for everything disrespectful that immoral and sinful people have spoken against him.
General Comment on 14–15
The Berean Standard Bible text of 14a–b has reordered the phrases to be more natural English. In the Greek text, Jude began the verse by referring to the fake Christians as the ones whom Enoch prophesied about. The Revised Standard Version follows the Greek order more closely here. For example:
14bIt was of these also that 14aEnoch in the seventh generation from Adam 14bprophesied, saying… (Revised Standard Version)
In some languages it may not be natural or possible to introduce the information in that order. It may help to reorder verses 14–15. Reordering may also help to connect these verses to verse 16. For example:
14a Enoch, born in the seventh generation from Adam, 14bprophesied, 14c“See, the Lord will certainly come with many thousands of his holy angels. 15aWhen he comes, he will judge everyone, 15band he will sentence all ungodly people. 15cHe will condemn them for all the immoral and evil things they have done, 15dand for everything disrespectful that ungodly and sinful people have spoken against him.” 14bEnoch’s prophecy applies also to the people who have infiltrated your church. 16aThese men are…
If you use this order, you may need to use a more specific phrase at the end of 14–15 to refer to the fake Christians. Since “These men” in 16a resumes the description of the fake Christians, it may be helpful at the end of 14–15 to use a clear phrase in your language. You can consider using the one which you used in 4c. In the example above, these people are referred to as “the people who have infiltrated your church.”
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