The General Epistle of Jude^*

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to the called brethren who have been sanctified by God the Father*, and preserved in the faith of Jesus Christ*: ² mercy and peace, and love, be multiplied unto you.

³ Beloved, while I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it became necessary for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. ⁴ For some men have crept in privily, who were before, of old, set forth for this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the favour of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Sovereign*, and our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵ Now I desire to remind you, who once knew this, that the Lord, having saved his people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who believed not. ⁶ And the angels who kept not their first state*, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in eternal chains, under darkness, to the judgement of the great day. ⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them which in like manner with them gave themselves over to uncleanness, and went after abominable desires*, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of everlasting fire*. ⁸ In like manner also these dreamers defile the flesh, set at nought dominion, and blaspheme dignities. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, when, contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring* against him a blaspheming accusation*, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." ¹⁰ But these blaspheme what they understand not: but what they know naturally, as brute creatures, in these things they corrupt themselves. ¹¹ Alas for them! because they have gone in the way of Cain, and rushed after the error of Balaam for reward, and destroyed themselves by gainsaying like Korah. ¹² These are blemishes in your love-feasts, when they banquet with you, feeding themselves without restraint*: clouds* without water, carried aside by winds; trees whose fruit withereth, barren, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; ¹³ raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom the blackness of darkness is reserved for ever. ¹⁴ Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied to these also, saying*, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints*, ¹⁵ to execute judgement upon all, and to convict all the ungodly [among them] of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed, and of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." ¹⁶ These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own evil desires: and their mouth speaketh very swelling words, and they respect the persons of men for the sake of gain. ¹⁷ But, beloved, remember ye the words* which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; ¹⁸ how they told you that there should be scoffers in the last time, walking after their own ungodly desires. ¹⁹ These are they who separate [themselves,] animal, not having the spirit.

²⁰ But ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying through the holy spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to everlasting life. ²² And on some have pity, making* a difference: ²³ and save others [with fear,] snatching them out of the fire; hating even the vest* defiled by the flesh.

²⁴ Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling*, and to present you spotless before his glory with exceeding joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Saviour*, through Jesus Christ our Lord*, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, as before all time*, so now, and throughout all ages. Amen.

Footnotes

^Title This epistle is one of those books the genuineness of which was disputed in the primitive ages, and which therefore, as Dr. Lardner well observes, "ought not to be alleged as affording alone sufficient proof of any doctrine." Grotius ascribes it to a bishop of Jerusalem in the reign of Adrian: but it is commonly believed to have been written by Judas, otherwise called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, the son of Alpheus, the brother of James the less, and first cousin to our Lord. The design of the epistle is to guard his readers against the errors and the crimes of the Gnostics. He is thought to have made quotations from the same apocryphal work which is referred to in the second epistle of Peter, which epistle Dr. Benson conjectures to have been consulted by him while he was writing his own. The epistle of Jude has as little evidence, either external or internal, in its favour, as any book of the New Testament.

^1a sanctified, i.e. separated or set apart to God. Brethren that are sanctified in the knowledge of God the Father, N.

^1b Or, by, Or, to Jesus Christ, i.e. who adhere to his doctrine notwithstanding the many corrupters of it. See Newcome's note.

⁴ the only Sovereign God, R. T.

⁶ Or, "the messengers who watched not duly over their own principality, but deserted their proper habitation, he kept with perpetual chains under darkness (punished them with judicial blindness of mind) unto the judgement of a great day, i.e. when they were destroyed by a plague." Alluding to the falsehood and punishment of the spies. Numbers xiv. See Simpson's Essays, p. 210. Perhaps, however, the writer may refer to some fanciful account of a fall of angels contained in the apocryphal book which lay before him, without meaning to vouch for that fact any more than for the incident mentioned ver. 9. He might introduce it merely to illustrate his argument. At any rate, a fact so important is not to be admitted upon such precarious evidence.

^7a Or, followed unnatural passions, Gr. other flesh, N. m.

^7b "Everlasting in its effects; the cities having been finally destroyed." Newcome.

^9a Or, suffered not himself to bring. Did not presume to bring. Wakefield.

^9b "This was probably taken from the apocryphal book before mentioned. We may be instructed by the moral, without admitting the fact. Some suppose a reference to Zech. iii. 1—3." Newcome.

^12a N. m. fear: N.

^12b they are as clouds-as trees-as waves-as stars. N.

^14a This is another quotation from some antient apocryphal book, for the authenticity of which, however, the writer is not to be supposed to vouch. See Dr. Benson in loc.

^14b Gr. with his holy myriads, N. m.

¹⁷ Or, But as for you, beloved, remember the words. See S. 31. N. m.

²² Or, And some rebuke, making etc. MSS. N. m.

²³ Or, garment.

²⁴ free from falling, N.

^25a Or, to God alone, our Savior. To the only wise God, R. T.

^25b The words "through Jesus Christ our Lord" are omitted in the received text and by Newcome. They are introduced in Griesbach, 2d edit., upon the authority of the Alexandrian, Vatican, and Ephrem MSS., and many ancient versions.

^25c The words "before all time" are wanting in R. T. and N., but introduced by Griesbach, 2d edit., upon the same authorities as in the preceding note. q.d. "As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be."