complete verse (Jude 1:18)

Following are a number of back-translations of Jude 1:18:

  • Uma: “They often said to you like this: In the days close to the Kiama Day, there will be people who make-fun-of our faith. They will follow their evil desires, and not submit to God.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They said hep to you, ‘When the end of the world comes close, there will be people coming to you, people who always indulge their desires. They will make fun of you.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They said, ‘In the future in the last days people will appear who speak in rejection against you. What they will obey is their own desires which are against God,’ they said.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They said to you, ‘When the last days arrive, there will be those who deprecate/belittle/make-fun who obey/fulfill what they desire that is evil.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For isn’t it so that they said to you, ‘It’s certain that when the end of the world approaches, there will appear/turn-up those who indulge their own will which is opposed to God’s will. And they will make you a laughing-stock because of your believing/obeying.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “They said that before the days to come have ended, there will be people who will ridicule the things which are sacred. These are people who will do whatever evil comes to mind.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Jude 1:18

They said to you can be understood in two ways. First, it can mean that the communities to whom Jude is writing have been evangelized directly by the apostles, and that the Christians in those communities have actually heard the apostles speak to them in person. But it is more likely that what is meant here is not that the apostles necessarily spoke directly to the recipients of Jude’s letter, but that, when they spoke, what they said was relevant not only for their own immediate listeners but for all believers, including those of later generations. This interpretation allows the quoted material to be part of a body of Christian teaching that was in circulation during Jude’s time.

A literal translation of course favors the first interpretation, and this is true of most translations, including Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. However, some translations do allow for the possibility that the apostles did not speak directly to Jude’s readers; for example, Phillips has “the words that the messengers of Jesus Christ gave us beforehand when they said….”

The statement that follows is also found in 2 Peter 3.3 but nowhere else in the New Testament or in any existing writings attributed to the apostles. And since 2 Peter is dependent on Jude, it becomes obvious that the source for Jude’s quotation does not exist today. It is of course possible that this is not a quotation but a summary of the apostles’ thinking regarding this matter. This understanding is allowed by the Greek text itself and may be reflected in a translation by avoiding the use of quotation markers. Most translations, however, translate the statement as a quotation.

In the last time is literally “In the end of time” and is a popular New Testament expression for the period between the time of Jesus’ earthly life and his coming again. It was the belief among the early Christians that the coming of Jesus began a new era in history, characterized by a new way of God dealing with his people. This new era will come to its climax at the second coming of Jesus, at which time all of God’s plans for the universe and for all humankind will be completely fulfilled. There are variations in the form of this expression, as for example “in the last days” or “in the last times,” but these have the same meaning. The use of the term to describe the time of Jude indicates that Jude himself believed that he was living in the last days, and that the end of the world was about to come. We may also translate this phrase as “in the days just before the end time.”

The word scoffers occurs in the Old Testament and describes people who make fun of or despise anything that has to do with God, religion, or morality. As such these people are clearly contrasted with righteous people, that is, people who obey God and live according to his way. These scoffers make fun not only of God and the gospel, but also of people who profess to live by the gospel. This more narrow position is reflected in Good News Translation, which states the object of the ridicule (“make fun of you”; we may also say “laugh at you”). But the broader position (that is, making fun of both God and people) seems preferable in this case.

The scoffers are characterized further as following their own ungodly passions. For following and passions see verse 16, where the same words are used. The word for ungodly is the word used in Jude 1.4 (for which see discussion there) and repeated three times in verse 15. As already noted, it is one of Jude’s favorite words.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• They warned you, “When the days just before the end time come, people will appear who will make fun of (or, laugh at) God and you. These are people whose lives are controlled by their own lusts (or, evil desires).”

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from Jude. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Jude 1:18

18a

when they said to you: In some languages it may be more natural to omit this phrase or to combine it with 17b. For example:

…17b–18awhat the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you to expect: 18b“In the last times…” (God’s Word)

The phrase they said to you introduced the direct quotation of the prophecy (18b–d). This prophecy can also be translated as an indirect quotation. The general comment at the end of the notes for 18d illustrates this.

18b

In the last times: In the New Testament, In the last times and similar expressions (For example, “in the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 2 Peter 3:3), “in later times” (1 Timothy 4:1).) refer to the time between Jesus’ resurrection and his return. Other ways to translate this include:

In the final age (Revised English Bible)
-or-
near the end of time (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
In the time before Jesus returns

18c

scoffers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scoffers refers here to people who mock, ridicule, or make fun of someone else.

The prophecy Jude quoted here did not specify whom it was that the scoffers mocked. However, Jude applied this prophecy to the fake Christians, and they mocked the Lord and his people. (The idea that the fake Christians mocked the Lord, or the Lord and his people, is consistent with what Jude said in the rest of this section. It also agrees with the parallel passage in 2 Peter 3:3–4. That passage speaks of people mocking Jesus and his promise to return, and by association, the true Christians who trusted in his promise to return.) In some languages it may be necessary to specify whom they mocked. If that is true in your language, here are possible ways to translate this prophecy:

people who will mock/ridicule the Lord
-or-
people will make fun of the Lord and his people.

18d

who will follow after their own ungodly desires: This expression is similar to the one that Jude used in 16b (“follow their own desires”—God’s Word). However, here in 18d Jude added the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ungodly. See the note on 16b. If you did not use a word for ungodly in 16b, you will need to include that idea here.

ungodly: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as ungodly has already been used several times in this letter. This is the last time that Jude used it. It is recommended that you refer to the notes on 4c and 15b, 15c, and 15d. Translate in a way that will be appropriate to describe “desires.” It may be possible to use the same word that you used in 15c for the phrase “every ungodly act.”

General Comment on 18a–d

The phrase “they said to you” (18a) introduces a direct quotation of a prophecy (18b–d). It can also be translated as an indirect quotation. For example:

18aThey told you that 18bnear the end of time, 18c–dselfish and godless people would start making fun of God. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
18athat 18bin the last times 18cthere would be scoffers 18dwhose purpose in life is to enjoy themselves in every evil way imaginable. (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

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Sung version of Jude

Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).

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