3 Johannes 1

1 Liewe Gaius, ek, die touderling, skryf hierdie brief vir jou. Ek is lief vir jou, want ons altwee ken die waarheid wat van God kom.

2 Liewe vriend, ek bid dat alles goed sal gaan met jou. Ek bid dat dit met jou gesondheid ook goed sal gaan, so goed soos dit met jou geloof gaan.
3 Ek was baie bly toe party van die tgelowiges van ons gemeente kom vertel het dat jy die waarheid ken en doen wat God vir ons sê.

4 Dit maak my baie baie bly wanneer ek hoor dat ons gelowiges doen wat God vir ons sê.
5 Liewe vriend, jy doen altyd die regte dinge, want jy help al die gelowiges wat daar by jou aankom, en dit is gelowiges wat jy nie ken nie. 6 Hulle het vir die gemeente hier vertel van jou liefde. Ek stuur hulle nou weer na jou toe. Dit sal goed wees as jy hulle help sodat hulle verder kan gaan soos God wil hê hulle moet gaan. 7 Hulle gaan om vir ander mense van Christus te vertel, maar die mense wat nie gelowiges is nie, gee vir hulle niks.

8 Daarom, ons moet mense help wat vir ander mense van Christus vertel. As ons dit doen, dan help ons hulle om die waarheid vir almal te vertel.
9 Ek het ’n brief vir die gemeente in julle stad geskryf, maar Diotrefes doen nie wat ons vra nie. Hy hou daarvan om die belangrikste in die gemeente te wees.

10 Daarom, wanneer ek na julle toe kom, dan sal ek vir julle gemeente alles vertel wat hy gedoen het. Hy skinder van my, en hy doen ook ander slegte dinge. Hy wil ook nie ander gelowiges laat inkom in julle gemeente nie, en as daar mense is wat die ander gelowiges laat inkom, dan skop hy daardie mense uit die kerk.
11 Liewe vriend, daar is mense wat slegte dinge doen. Maar jy moenie dit doen nie. Jy moet goeie dinge doen. Almal wat goed doen, is God se kinders. Maar almal wat sleg doen, glo nie in God nie.

12 Ek stuur ook vir Demetrius na jou toe. Almal praat goed van hom. Die dinge wat hy doen, wys ook dat hy goed is. Ek praat ook goed van hom en jy weet dat ek die waarheid praat.
13 Ek het nog baie dinge wat ek vir jou wil sê, maar ek wil dit nie in ’n brief skryf nie.

14 Ek hoop om jou gou te sien. Dan kan ons met mekaar praat.
15 Ek bid dat God vir jou vrede sal gee. Al die vriende hier by my stuur groete vir jou. Sê groete vir elkeen van die vriende daar by jou.

3 John 1

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. That 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 believers. 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 honors 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 won't have anything to do with us. He loves to be the first in everything.10 So if I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things about us to others. Even that doesn't satisfy him. 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 our witness 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.
May you have peace. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.