^1:20But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit,⁸⁹^1:21maintain⁹⁰ yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating⁹¹ the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life.⁹²^1:22And have mercy on those who waver; ^1:23save⁹³ others by snatching them out of the fire; have mercy⁹⁴ on others, coupled with a fear of God,⁹⁵ hating even the clothes stained⁹⁶ by the flesh.⁹⁷

Read in Logos

Jude 20–21: But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

Footnotes

89 The participles in v. 20 have been variously interpreted. Some treat them imperativally or as attendant circumstance to the imperative in v. 21 (“maintain”): “build yourselves up … pray.” But they do not follow the normal contours of either the imperatival or attendant circumstance participles, rendering this unlikely. A better option is to treat them as the means by which the readers are to maintain themselves in the love of God. This both makes eminently good sense and fits the structural patterns of instrumental participles elsewhere.
90 Or “keep.”
91 Or “waiting for.”
92 Grk “unto eternal life.”
93 Grk “and save.”
94 Grk “and have mercy.”
95 Grk “with fear.” But as this contrasts with ἀφόβως (aphobōs) in v. 12 (without reverence), the posture of the false teachers, it most likely refers to reverence for God. Joining a fear of God to mercy is an important balance when involved in disciplinary action. On the one hand, being merciful without fear can turn to unwarranted sympathy for the individual, absolving him of personal responsibility; but fearing God without showing mercy can turn into personal judgment and condemnation.
96 The imagery here suggests that the things close to the sinners are contaminated by them, presumably during the process of sinning.
97 Grk “hating even the tunic spotted by the flesh.” The “flesh” in this instance could refer to the body or to the sin nature. It makes little difference in one sense: Jude is thinking primarily of sexual sins, which are borne of the sin nature and manifest themselves in inappropriate deeds done with the body. At the same time, he is not saying that the body is intrinsically bad, a view held by the opponents of Christianity. Hence, it is best to see “flesh” as referring to the sin nature here and the language as metaphorical.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

NLTNew Living Translation

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt, and save others by snatching them from the fire, and have mercy on others with fear, hating even the tunic stained by the flesh.

KJV 1900King James Version

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Public Domain