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a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.
2 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was entrusted to the saints once for all. 4 For certain men have secretly slipped in among you, people whose condemnation was designated long ago; ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into a license for promiscuity and deny Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
5 But I want to remind you, though you already know all this, that the Lord delivered the people out of the land of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their own positions in their domain, but abandoned their posting, He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for the judgment on the great day. 7 In the same way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities gave themselves over to sexual immorality and the pursuit of perversion. They serve as an example by being set apart to suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Likewise, these dreamers defile their own flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when He was disputing with the Devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these people speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do know by instinct like unreasoning animals - these are the very things that they destroy themselves with.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain; they have abandoned themselves to Baalim’s error for profit; and they have perished in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without any apprehension, while they only nurture themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead and uprooted. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars, for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones 15 to execute judgment on everyone, and to convert them of all their ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders, walking according to their own evil desires; they speak boastful and arrogant words, and flatter people for their own advantage.
17 But you, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold; 18 for they said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people cause divisions among you, who follow their own base instincts, and who are devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith, and pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in God’s love, as you look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ through to eternal life.
22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy but mixed with fear, hating even the clothing defiled by the flesh.
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you without blemish in the presence of His glory with great joy, 25 to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time, now, and forever! Amen.