[0] The children of your elect sister greet you. [1] Jude, a servant of
Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God
the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: [2] May mercy, peace, and love be
multiplied to you. [3] Beloved, being very eager to write to you of our
common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend
for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. [4] For
admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for
this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into
licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. [5] Now I
desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that he
who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who
did not believe. [6] And the angels that did not keep their own position
but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in
the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day; [7] just as Sodom and
Gomor'rah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and
indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment
of eternal fire. [8] Yet in like manner these men in their dreamings defile
the flesh, reject authority, and revile the glorious ones. [9] But when the
archangel Michael, contending with the devil, disputed about the body of
Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him, but
said, "The Lord rebuke you." [10] But these men revile whatever they do not
understand, and by those things that they know by instinct as irrational
animals do, they are destroyed. [11] Woe to them! For they walk in the way
of Cain, and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error, and
perish in Korah's rebellion. [12] These are blemishes on your love feasts,
as they boldly carouse together, looking after themselves; waterless
clouds, carried along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead,
uprooted; [13] wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own
shame; wandering stars for whom the nether gloom of darkness has been
reserved for ever. [14] It was of these also that Enoch in the seventh
generation from Adam prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with his
holy myriads, [15] to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the
ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such
an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have
spoken against him." [16] These are grumblers, malcontents, following their
own passions, loud-mouthed boasters, flattering people to gain advantage.
[17] But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our
Lord Jesus Christ; [18] they said to you, "In the last time there will be
scoffers, following their own ungodly passions." [19] It is these who set
up divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. [20] But you, beloved,
build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; [21]
keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life. [22] And convince some, who doubt; [23] save
some, by snatching them out of the fire; on some have mercy with fear,
hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. [24] Now to him who is able
to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the
presence of his glory with rejoicing, [25] to the only God, our Savior
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority,
before all time and now and for ever. Amen.
