3.Johannes 1 | New International Reader’s Version

1 I, the elder, am writing this letter. I am sending it to you, my dear friend Gaius. I love you because of the truth.

2 Dear friend, I know that your spiritual life is going well. I pray that you also may enjoy good health. And I pray that everything else may go well with you.

3 Some believers came to me and told me that you are faithful to the truth. They told me that you continue to live by it. This news gave me great joy.

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living by the truth.

5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you.

6 They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honours God.

7 They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn’t receive any help from those who aren’t believers.

8 So we should welcome people like them. We should work together with them for the truth.

9 I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes will not welcome us. He loves to be the first in everything.

10 So when I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things that aren’t true about us. Even this doesn’t satisfy him. So he refuses to welcome other believers. He also keeps others from welcoming them. In fact, he throws them out of the church.

11 Dear friend, don’t be like those who do evil. Be like those who do good. Anyone who does what is good belongs to God. Anyone who does what is evil hasn’t really seen or known God.

12 Everyone says good things about Demetrius. He lives in keeping with the truth. We also say good things about him. And you know that what we say is true.

13 I have a lot to write to you. But I don’t want to write with pen and ink.

14 I hope I can see you soon. Then we can talk face to face.

15 May you have peace. The friends here send their greetings. Greet each one of the friends there.

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English Standard Version

Greeting

1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers* came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

Support and Opposition

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are,

6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.

7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

10 So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

12 Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

13 I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.

14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, each by name.

The ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®) copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV^® Text Edition: 2016. The ESV^® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. The ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.