3 Johan 1
1 Kricaabu zaehoikung kacoehta mah, loktang ah ka palung ih Kaia khaeah,
[You(sg) know me as] the [chief] Elder. [I am writing this letter to you], my dear friend Gaius, whom I truly love.
2 kang palung ih kami, kahoih poekhaih palungthin na tawnh baktih toengah, hmuennawk boih ah qoengh moe, ngan na tui thai hanah lawk kang thuih pae, tiah ca tarik.
Dear friend, I ask [God that things may go] well for you in every way, [specifically], that you will be physically healthy just like you are spiritually healthy [MTY].
3 Loktang loklam to na pazui moe, loktang lok ah na oh, tiah nawkamyanawk angzoh o moe, ang thuih o naah, paroeai anghoehaih ka tawnh.
I am very happy because some fellow believers have come [here] and told me that you conduct your life in a manner [that is consistent with God’s] true message.
4 Ka caanawk loktang thungah caeh o ti, tiah ka thaih naah, to anghoehaih pongah kalen kue anghoehaih ka tawn ai boeh.
I am very happy when I hear that (people whom I helped to believe in Christ/my [spiritual] children) are conducting their lives like you are!
5 Palung ih kami, nawkamyanawk hoi angvinnawk khaeah, oep kaom ah tok na sak;
Dear friend, you are [serving Jesus] loyally/faithfully whenever you do things to help fellow believers, [even those whom you] do not know, who are traveling [around doing God’s work].
6 nihcae mah nang ih amlunghaih to kricaabu hmaa ah thuih o boeh: nihcae mah Sithaw koehhaih baktiah tamthanglok taphong o hanah na bomh thaih nahaeloe, kahoih hmuen ah ni om tih:
[Some of] them have reported before the congregation [here how] you have showed that you love them. You should continue to help such people in their travels in a way that is pleasing to God.
7 nihcae loe Anih ih ahmin hoiah ni caeh o, Gentelnawk khae hoi abomhaih tidoeh la o ai.
When those fellow believers went out [to tell people about Jesus] [MTY], the people who do not believe in Christ did not give them anything [to help them].
8 Loktang toksahkung ah a oh o thai toeng hanah, aicae mah to baktih kaminawk to abomh han oh.
So we [who believe in Christ] ought to give food and money to such people to help [them as they teach others God’s] true message.
9 Kricaabu khaeah ca ka tarik: toe nihcae zaehoikung ah kaom, Diotrephe mah kaicae talawk han koeh ai.
I wrote [a letter] to the congregation [telling them to help those fellow believers]. However, Diotrephes does not (acknowledge my authority/[pay any attention to what] I wrote), because he (desires to be in charge/wants to be the leader) of [the congregation].
10 To pongah, kang zoh nahaeloe, a sak ih hmuen to ka panoek sak han, anih loe aicae kasae thuih khue ai ah, nawkamyanawk doeh talawk han koeh ai: nawkamyanawk talawk han koeh kaminawk doeh pakaa moe, nihcae to kricaabu thung hoiah pathok ving.
So, when I arrive [there], I will [publicly] tell what he does: He tells others evil nonsense about us [in order to] harm [us by what he] says, and he is not content with only doing that. He himself refuses to receive the fellow believers who are traveling around doing God’s work, and he also stops those who want to receive them by expelling them from the congregation.
11 Palung ih kami, kahoih ai hmuen to pazui hmah, kahoih hmuen to pazui ah. Kahoih hmuen sah kami loe Sithaw ih kami ah oh: toe kahoih ai hmuen sah kami loe Sithaw to hnu ai.
Dear friend, do not imitate a bad [example like that]. Instead, [keep imitating] good [examples. Remember that] people who do good deeds ([truly] belong to God/are [spiritual children] of God), [but] those who do [what is] evil do not (know/have fellowship with) God.
12 Kaminawk boih mah Demitria hoihaih kawng to thuih o, loktang lok mah doeh anih hoihaih kawng to thuih: ue, aicae mah doeh kahoihah a thuih o; a thuih o ih lok loe loktang ni, tito na panoek.
All [the believers who know Demetrius] say that he [is a good person]. The fact [that he conducts his life in a way that is consistent/in accordance with God’s] true [message] shows [that he is a good person], and we also say the same thing [about him]. You know that what we say [about him] is true. [So it will be good if you welcome him and help him. He is the one who will be bringing this letter to you].
13 Ca zetpui tarik han ka koeh, toe cacung hoi catui hoiah tarik ka koeh ai:
[When I began] to write this letter, I had much more [that I intended] to tell you. But [now] I do not want to say [it] in a letter [MTY].
14 nang hoi angqum palang tih hmang, tiah oephaih ka tawnh, to naah mikhmai kang tongah lok aram tih hmang. Nang khaeah monghaih om nasoe. Aicae ampuinawk mah ban ang sin o. Toah kaom ampuinawk to ka hmin hoiah ban sin ah.
Instead, I expect to [come and] see you soon. Then we will talk directly with one another. [I pray that God will enable] you [to experience inner] peace. Our friends [here] (send you their greetings/say that they are thinking affectionately about you) [MTY]. Tell our friends [there] that we (send our greetings to/are thinking fondly about) them.
