He rebukes such persons as, being blinded by their own lusts, resist the truth; and so that we may know them better, he describes them as such as sin abominably against nature, despise rulers, etc. He exhorts us to build one another up, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to continue in love, to look for the coming of the Lord, and one to help another out of the fire.
1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James.
To those who are called and sanctified in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. 2 Mercy to you, and peace and love be multiplied.
3 Beloveds, when I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, to exhort you to labour continually in the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. 4 For there are certain men who have craftily crept in, who were long ago marked out for such judgment. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our God into licentiousness, and deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 My intent is therefore to remind you, since you already know this, that the Lord (after he had delivered the people out of Egypt) destroyed those who afterward did not believe. 6 The angels also who did not keep their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day – 7 even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the places around them (which in like manner defiled themselves with fornication and followed unnatural desires), are set forth as an example, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise these dreamers defile the flesh, despise rulers, and speak evil of those who are in authority. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when he strove against the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, dared not give railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you. 10 But these speak evil of those things that they do not know. And the things they know instinctively, as do animals that are without reason, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe be to them, for they have followed the way of Cain, and are utterly given to the error of Balaam, for the sake of personal gain, and perish in the treason of Korah. 12 These are spots who of your kindness feast together, without fear feeding themselves. Clouds they are without water, carried about by winds, and trees without fruit at gathering time, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. 13 They are the raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, to whom is reserved the mist of darkness forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied before of such persons, saying, Behold, the Lord will come with thousands of saints, 15 to give judgment against all men, and to rebuke all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, whose mouths speak proud things. They have others in great reverence for the sake of advantage.
17 But you, beloveds, remember the words that were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 how they told you that there would be beguilers in the last time, who would walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are makers of fleshly sects, not having the Spirit. 20 But you, dearly beloveds, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 and keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And have compassion on some, separating them; 23 and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; and hate the spotted vesture of the flesh.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you so that you do not fall, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with joy – 25 that is to say, to God our Saviour, who alone is wise – be glory, majesty, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.
Hereafter follows
the Apocalypse.