Jude
Jude,
a slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the called ones who
have been loved by God the Father and have been kept by Jesus Christ.
2 May mercy peace and love be multiplied to you.
3 Beloved,
making all haste to write to you concerning our common salvation, I
needed to write to you exhorting you
to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. 4 For certain
men crept in, the ones who of old had been previously written for
this judgment, impious men, who make the grace of your God a pretext
for wantonness and who deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. 5
But I purpose to remind you, who once knew all things, that the Lord
who saved the people out of the land of Egypt and
in
the second place destroyed those who did not believe, 6 and he has
kept the angels who did not keep their rule, but who deserted their
own habitation, in everlasting bonds under gloom for the judgment of
the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorra and the cities around them, who
in like manner committed fornication and went away after different
flesh, are set forth an example of undergoing vengeance of eternal
fire. 8 Likewise indeed these dreamers also on one hand defile flesh,
on the other despise lordship, and rail at glories. 9 But Michael the
archangel, when he contended with the devil and argued about the body
of Moses, dared not to bring on a railing judgment, but said, “The
Lord rebuke you.” 10 But on one hand these men rail at what things
they do not know, on the other what things they understand naturally
like the animals without reason, by these they are corrupted. 11 Woe
to them, because they went in the way of Cain, and gave themselves up
to the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the dispute of
Korah. 12 These men are the rocks in your love feasts who feast
together without fear, feeding themselves, waterless clouds that are
carried away by winds, autumn trees without fruit which have died
twice and have been uprooted, 13 fierce waves of the sea foaming up
their shames, wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has
been kept unto the ages. 14 And Enoch the seventh from Adam
prophesied to these men saying, “Behold the Lord came with ten
thousand of his saints, 15 to do judgment against all men and to
rebuke all the impious concerning all their works of impiety which
they impiously did and concerning all the hard things which impious
sinners spoke against him.” 16 These men are argumentative
murmurers, who go according to their lusts, and their mouths speak
arrogant things, admiring faces for the sake of advantage.
17 But
you, beloved, be mindful of the words previously spoken by the
apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, because they told you, “At the
last of the time there will be mockers who go according to their
lusts of impious things.” 19 These men are the ones who make
separations, natural, who do not have the Spirit. 20 But you,
beloved, building yourselves up in the your most holy faith, praying
in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. 22 And pity
those who are wavering, 23 save some by seizing out of fire, others
pity with fear, hating even the tunic that has been spotted by the
flesh.
24 Now to the one who is able to guard you without
stumbling and to set you unblemished with exultation before his
glory, 25 to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be
glory, greatness, might, and authority before all the age and now and
unto all the ages: Amen.