Jude 1–7

¹Jude,^a a servant of Jesus Christ^b and a brother of James,

To those who have been called,^c who are loved in God the Father and kept for^a Jesus Christ:^d

²Mercy, peace^e and love be yours in abundance.^f

The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People

³Dear friends,^g although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,^h I felt compelled to write and urge you to contendⁱ for the faith^j that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.^{k 4}For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about^b long ago have secretly slipped in among you.^l They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.^m

⁵Though you already know all this,ⁿ I want to remind you^o that the Lord^c at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.^{p 6}And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.^{q 7}In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah^r and the surrounding towns^s gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.^t