Salutation

1Jude, slave of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, ⁰to the called, those who have been sanctified ¹by God the Father and preserved ²through ³Jesus Christ:

2May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. ⁴

Why he is writing

3Dear ones, while I was really intent on writing to you about the salvation we share, I had a compulsion ⁵to write exhorting you to contend earnestly for the Faith ⁶once for all committed to the saints.

4Because certain men, who were marked out for this condemnation long ago, ⁷have sneaked in; they are godless, perverting the grace of our God into licentiousness and denying the only Sovereign God, ⁸even our Lord Jesus Christ.

Examples from ancient history

5So I want to remind you, though you already know this, that the Lord delivered a people out of the land of Egypt yet later destroyed those who did not believe. ⁹

6And the angels who did not keep their proper domain but deserted ¹⁰their own dwelling He has kept bound in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. ¹¹

7So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns—who gave themselves up to fornication and went after a different kind of flesh ¹²in a manner similar to those angels—stand as an example, undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. ¹³

Evil men are in the church

8Likewise these dreamers in their turn both defile flesh ¹⁴and reject authority and slander celestial beings. ¹⁵

9Yet even Michael the archangel, ¹⁶when taking issue with the devil—he was arguing about Moses' corpse ¹⁷—did not dare to pronounce a reviling judgment, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁸

10But these speak abusively against whatever they do not understand, while whatever they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals—by these things they are ruined. ¹⁹

11Woe to them, because they have taken the way of Cain, ²⁰have rushed into Balaam's error for profit, ²¹and have destroyed themselves in Korah's rebellion! ²²

12These men are hidden reefs at your love feasts, joining the feast without fear, caring only for themselves; they are clouds without rain, carried along by winds; they are late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead (having been uprooted);

13they are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shameful acts; they are wandering stars, for whom the black of the darkness has been reserved forever. ²³

14Now even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men saying: “Look, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of His holy ones

15to execute judgment on everyone and to convict all the godless among them of all their godless deeds that they have godlessly perpetrated, also of all the harsh things they have spoken against Him—the godless sinners!” ²⁴

16These men are grumblers and complainers, living according to their own evil desires; they talk big, flattering people to gain advantage.

Exhortation

17But you, dear ones, remember the words that were spoken before by the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:

18how they told you that in the last time there will be scoffers who live according to their own godless desires.

19These are the ones who cause division; they are ‘soulish’, not having a spirit. ²⁵

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

21keep yourselves in God's love, ²⁶looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ into eternal life. ²⁷

22Now be merciful to some, making a distinction; ²⁸

23but others save with fear, snatching them out of the fire, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. ²⁹

Doxology

24Now to Him who is able to keep them ³⁰from stumbling and to present them before His glorious presence without fault and with exultation ³¹—

25to God our Savior, who alone is wise, ³²be glory and majesty, power and authority, both now and throughout all the ages! Amen.