The Letter from Jude
1
1 Jude,
a servant of
Jesus Christ,
and brother of
James, to those
who are called,
sanctified by God
the Father, and
kept for Jesus
Christ:
2 May
mercy, peace,
and love be
multiplied to you.
3 Beloved,
while I was
very eager to
write to you
about our common
salvation, I
was constrained to
write to you
exhorting you to
contend earnestly
for the faith
which was once for
all delivered to
the saints.
4 For
there are certain
men who crept
in secretly, even
those who were
long ago written
about for this
condemnation: ungodly men,
turning the grace
of our God
into indecency, and denying
our only Master,
God, and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
5 Now
I desire to
remind you, though
you already know
this, that the
Lord, having saved
a people out
of the land
of Egypt, afterward destroyed
those who didn’t
believe.
6 Angels
who didn’t keep
their first domain,
but deserted their
own dwelling place,
he has kept
in everlasting bonds
under darkness for
the judgment of
the great day.
7 Even
as Sodom and
Gomorrah and the
cities around them,
having in the
same way as
these given themselves
over to sexual
immorality and gone
after strange
flesh, are shown
as an example,
suffering the
punishment of eternal
fire.
8 Yet
in the same
way, these also
in their dreaming
defile the flesh,
despise authority, and slander
celestial beings.
9 But
Michael, the archangel,
when contending
with the devil
and arguing about
the body of
Moses, dared not
bring against him
an abusive condemnation,
but said, “May
the Lord rebuke
you!”
10 But
these speak evil
of whatever things
they don’t know.
They are destroyed
in these things
that they
understand naturally,
like the creatures
without reason.
11 Woe
to them! For
they went in
the way of
Cain, and
ran riotously in
the error of Balaam
for hire,
and perished in
Korah’s rebellion.
12 These
are hidden rocky
reefs in your love
feasts when they
feast with you,
shepherds who without fear
feed themselves;
clouds without water,
carried along
by winds; autumn
trees without fruit,
twice dead, plucked up
by the roots;
13 wild waves
of the sea, foaming
out their
own shame; wandering stars,
for whom the
blackness of
darkness has been
reserved forever.
14 About
these also Enoch,
the seventh
from Adam, prophesied,
saying, “Behold,
the Lord came
with ten thousands
of his holy ones,
15 to
execute judgment
on all, and
to convict all
the ungodly of all
their works
of ungodliness which
they have done
in an ungodly way,
and of all
the hard things
which ungodly sinners have
spoken against
him.”
16 These
are murmurers and
complainers, walking
after their
lusts—and their
mouth speaks proud
things—showing respect of
persons to gain
advantage.
17 But
you, beloved, remember
the words which
have been spoken
before by
the apostles of
our Lord Jesus
Christ.
18 They
said to you, “In
the last time
there will be
mockers, walking
after their
own ungodly lusts.”
19 These
are those who
cause divisions and
are sensual, not
having the Spirit.
20 But
you, beloved, keep building
up yourselves on
your most holy
faith, praying in
the Holy Spirit.
21 Keep
yourselves in
God’s love,
looking for the
mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ
to eternal life.
22 On
some have compassion,
making a
distinction,
23 and
some save, snatching
them out of
the fire with
fear, hating even
the clothing stained
by the flesh.
24 Now
to him who
is able to
keep them
from stumbling, and
to present
you faultless before
the presence of
his glory in
great joy,
25 to
God our Savior,
who alone is wise,
be glory and
majesty, dominion
and power, both
now and forever.
Amen.