2 John 1; 3 John 1; Jude 1

1 The Elder: To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth-and not only I, but also all who have come to know the truth-

2 because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever.

3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, in keeping with a command we have received from the Father.

5 So now I urge you, lady-not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning-that we love one another.

6 And this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love.

7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves so that you don't lose what we have worked for, but you may receive a full reward.

9 Anyone who does not remain in the teaching about Christ, but goes beyond it, does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don't say, "Welcome," to him;

11 for the one who says, "Welcome," to him shares in his evil works.

12 Though I have many things to write to you, I don't want to do so with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to be with you and talk face to face so that our joy may be complete.

13 The children of your elect sister send you greetings.

1 To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

3 For I was very glad when some brothers came and testified to your [faithfulness] to the truth-how you are walking in the truth.

4 I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5 Dear friend, you are showing your faith by whatever you do for the brothers, and this [you are doing] for strangers;

6 they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God,

7 since they set out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from pagans.

8 Therefore, we ought to support such men, so that we can be co-workers with the truth.

9 I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive us.

10 This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

12 Demetrius has a [good] testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. And we also testify for him, and you know that our testimony is true.

13 I have many things to write you, but I don't want to write to you with pen and ink.

14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. Peace be with you. The friends send you greetings. Greet the friends by name.

1 Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ, and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3 Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.

4 For certain men, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into promiscuity and denying our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

5 Now I want to remind you, though you know all these things: the Lord, having first of all saved a people out of Egypt, later destroyed those who did not believe;

6 and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.

7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them committed sexual immorality and practiced perversions, just as they did, and serve as an example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.

8 Nevertheless, these dreamers likewise defile their flesh, despise authority, and blaspheme glorious beings.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses' body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

10 But these people blaspheme anything they don't understand, and what they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals-they destroy themselves with these things.

11 Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion.

12 These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn-fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots;

13 wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever!

14 And Enoch, in the seventh [generation] from Adam, prophesied about them: Look! The Lord comes with thousands of His holy ones

15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict them of all their ungodly deeds that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.

16 These people are discontented grumblers, walking according to their desires; their mouths utter arrogant words, flattering people for their own advantage.

17 But you, dear friends, remember the words foretold by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18 they told you, "In the end time there will be scoffers walking according to their own ungodly desires."

19 These people create divisions and are merely natural, not having the Spirit.

20 But you, dear friends, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

21 keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.

22 Have mercy on some who doubt;

23 save others by snatching [them] from the fire; on others have mercy in fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

24 Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy,

25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen.