Jude 1

1Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to you who are called by God. God the Father loves you, and Jesus Christ keeps you safe.

2May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.

3Dear friends, I really wanted to write to you about the salvation we all share. But I felt I must write instead to beg you to fight for the faith. God gave this faith once and for all to his holy people.

4Some sinful people have quietly slipped in among you. Long ago it was written that they would be judged like this. They turn the grace of our God into an excuse for sin, and they say no to Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.

5You already know all this, but I want to remind you. The Lord saved his people out of Egypt. But later he destroyed those who did not believe.

6And remember the angels who did not stay where they belonged but left their proper home. God has kept them in darkness, in chains that last forever, until the day of judgment.

7Remember also Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them. They were full of sexual sin and went after what was unnatural. They are an example to us, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

8In the same way, these dreamers do wrong with their bodies. They say no to God's power and say evil things about powerful angels.

9Even the angel Michael did not do this. When Michael argued with the devil about the body of Moses, Michael did not dare to insult the devil. Michael only said: The Lord will correct you.

10But these people say evil things about whatever they do not understand. And the things they do understand, like wild animals that act without thinking, are the very things that destroy them.

11How terrible for them! They have followed the way of Cain. For money, they have rushed into the same mistake as Balaam. And like Korah, they have rebelled, and they will be destroyed.

12These people are a danger at your shared meals. They eat with you without any shame, caring only for themselves. They are clouds with no rain, blown along by the wind. They are trees without fruit in the autumn, pulled up by the roots and twice dead.

13They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame. They are wandering stars, and the deepest darkness has been kept for them forever.

14Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, spoke about these people long ago. Enoch said: Look, the Lord is coming with thousands and thousands of his holy ones.

15The Lord is coming to judge everyone. The Lord will show all the sinful people the truth about the sinful things they have done, and about all the harsh words that sinful people have spoken against the Lord.

16These people are always complaining and blaming others. They follow their own evil desires. They brag about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.

17But you, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ told you before.

18They said to you: In the last days there will be people who laugh at the truth and follow their own sinful desires.

19These are the people who cause division. They follow their natural desires and do not have the Spirit.

20But you, dear friends, must keep making your holy faith strong, and pray in the Holy Spirit.

21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life.

22Be kind to those who have doubts.

23Save others by pulling them out of the fire. Show mercy to others, but be careful; hate even the clothing that is stained by their sin.

24God is able to keep you from falling. He can bring you into his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.

25To the only God, our Saviour, be glory, greatness, power, and control through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and forever. Amen.