America Bless God
1 Jude, a
bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are called, sanctified[a]
by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 Mercy, peace, and
love be multiplied to you.
3 Beloved, while I was
very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it
necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which
was once for all delivered to the saints.
4 For certain men have
crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly
men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God[b]
and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 But I want to remind
you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of
the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And the angels who
did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;
7 as Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given
themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth
as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8 Likewise also these
dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.
9 Yet Michael the
archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of
Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord
rebuke you!” 10 But
these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally,
like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them! For
they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for
profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are spots in
your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only
themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about[c]
by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the
roots; 13 raging waves
of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever.
14 Now Enoch, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord
comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 to execute judgment
on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds
which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which
ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
16 These are
grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth
great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.
17 But you, beloved,
remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ: 18 how they
told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according
to their own ungodly lusts.
19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved,
building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in
the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life.
22 And on some have
compassion, making a distinction;[d]
23 but others save
with fear, pulling them out of the fire,[e]
hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
24 Now to Him
who is able to keep you[f]
from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our
Savior,[g]
Who alone is wise,[h]
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,[i]
Both now and forever.
Amen.