1I, the elder, am writing this letter.
I am sending it to you, my dear friend Gaius. I love you because of the truth.
2Dear 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. 3Some 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. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living by the truth.
5Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you. 6They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn’t receive any help from those who aren’t believers. 8So we should welcome people like them. We should work together with them for the truth.
9I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes will not welcome us. He loves to be the first in everything. 10So 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.
11Dear 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. 12Everyone 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.
13I have a lot to write to you. But I don’t want to write with pen and ink. 14I hope I can see you soon. Then we can talk face to face.
15May you have peace.
The friends here send their greetings. Greet each one of the friends there.
1Ndine mkulu wampingo, kulembera:
Gayo mnzanga wokondedwa, amene ndimamukonda mʼchoonadi.
2Wokondedwa, ndimakupempherera kuti zako zonse zikuyendere bwino, ndikuti ukhale bwino mʼthupi mwako, monga momwe ulili moyo wako wauzimu. 3Ine ndinali ndi chimwemwe chachikulu pamene abale ena anafika nʼkundifotokozera za kukhulupirika kwako pa choonadi ndiponso mmene umayendera motsata choonadi. 4Palibe chondikondweretsa kwambiri kuposa kumva kuti ana anga akukhala mʼchoonadi.
5Wokondedwa, ndiwe wokhulupirika pa zimene ukuchitira abale, ngakhale kuti iwowo ndi alendo. 6Iwo anafotokozera mpingo za chikondi chako. Chonde uwathandize kupitiriza ulendo mʼnjira yokondweretsa Mulungu. 7Pakuti ananyamuka ulendo wawo chifukwa cha dzina la Ambuye, osalandira thandizo kwa osakhulupirira. 8Ife tiyenera kumathandiza anthu oterewa, kuti tigwirizane nawo pa ntchito ya choonadi.
Za Diotrefe ndi Demetriyo
9Ndinalembera mpingo, koma Diotrefe, amene amafuna kukhala wotsogolera, sanafune kutimvera. 10Tsono ndikabwera ndidzakumbutsa zimene iye amachita. Iye amafalitsa nkhani zabodza zonena ife. Ndipo sakhutira ndi zimenezo, komanso iyeyo amakana kulandira abale. Komanso amaletsa amene akufuna kutero, ndipo amawachotsa mu mpingo.
11Wokondedwa, usatsatire zinthu zoyipa koma zinthu zabwino. Aliyense amene amachita zinthu zabwino ndi wochokera kwa Mulungu. Aliyense amene amachita zoyipa sanamuonepo Mulungu. 12Aliyense akumuchitira umboni wabwino wa Demetriyo. Ngakhale choona chomwe chimamuchitira umboni, ndipo iweyo ukudziwa kuti umboni wathu ndi woona.
13Ndili ndi zambiri zoti ndikulembereni, koma sindikufuna kuzilemba mʼkalata. 14Ndiyembekezera kufika kwanuko posachedwapa, ndipo tidzakambirana pamaso ndi pamaso.
15Mtendere ukhale nawe. Abwenzi anu kuno akupereka moni. Upereke moni kwa abwenzi onse mmodzimmodzi.
