Book of Common Prayer

He rebukes such persons as, being blinded by their own lusts, resist the truth; and so that we may know them better, he describes them as such as sin abominably against nature, despise rulers, etc. He exhorts us to build one another up, to pray in the Holy Spirit, to continue in love, to look for the coming of the Lord, and one to help another out of the fire.

¹ Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James.

To those who are called and sanctified in God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. ² Mercy to you, and peace and love be multiplied.

³ Beloveds, when I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, to exhort you to labour continually in the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For there are certain men who have craftily crept in, who were long ago marked out for such judgment. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our God into licentiousness, and deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵ My intent is therefore to remind you, since you already know this, that the Lord (after he had delivered the people out of Egypt) destroyed those who afterward did not believe. ⁶ The angels also who did not keep their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day – ⁷ even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the places around them (which in like manner defiled themselves with fornication and followed unnatural desires), are set forth as an example, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.

⁸ Likewise these dreamers defile the flesh, despise rulers, and speak evil of those who are in authority. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, when he strove against the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, dared not give railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke you. ¹⁰ But these speak evil of those things that they do not know. And the things they know instinctively, as do animals that are without reason, in those things they corrupt themselves.

¹¹ Woe be to them, for they have followed the way of Cain, and are utterly given to the error of Balaam, for the sake of personal gain, and perish in the treason of Korah. ¹² These are spots who of your kindness feast together, without fear feeding themselves. Clouds they are without water, carried about by winds, and trees without fruit at gathering time, twice dead and plucked up by the roots. ¹³ They are the raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, to whom is reserved the mist of darkness forever.

¹⁴ Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied before of such persons, saying, Behold, the Lord will come with thousands of saints, ¹⁵ to give judgment against all men, and to rebuke all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard words that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. ¹⁶ These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, whose mouths speak proud things. They have others in great reverence for the sake of advantage.

The marriage of the king’s son. Tribute should be given to the emperor. Christ confutes the opinion of the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, and answers the question posed by the scribe.

22 And Jesus spoke to them again in similitudes, saying, ² The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, ³ and sent forth his servants to call those who were bid to the wedding, and they would not come. ⁴ Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell those who are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted calves are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage.

⁵ But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farmstead, another about his wares. ⁶ The rest took his servants and shamefully abused them, and slew them.

⁷ When the king heard about this, he was furious, and sent forth his warriors and destroyed those murderers and burnt up their city. ⁸ Then said the king to his servants, The wedding was prepared, but those who were bidden were not worthy. ⁹ Go therefore out into the highways, and as many as you find, bid them to the marriage.

¹⁰ The servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding was furnished with guests. ¹¹ Then the king came in to visit the guests, and spotted there a man who did not have on a wedding garment, ¹² and said to him, Friend, how did it happen that you came in here and do not have on a wedding garment? And the man was quite speechless. ¹³ Then said the king to his servants, Take and bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ¹⁴ For many are called, but few are chosen.