< 約翰一書 2 >
1 我的孩子們,我給你們寫這些事,是為叫你們不犯罪;但是,誰若犯了罪,我們在父那裏有正義的耶穌基督作護慰者。
My children, I am writing to you to keep you from sinning. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the righteous.
2 他自己就是贖罪祭,贖我們的罪過,不但贖我們的,而且也贖全世界的罪過。
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but the sins of the whole world.
It is by keeping God’s commands that we can be sure we know him.
4 那說「我認識他,」而不遵守他命令的,是撒謊的人,在他內沒有真理。
Whoever says ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commands, is a liar. The truth has no place in them.
5 但是,誰若遵守他的話,天主的愛在他內纔得以圓滿;由此我們也知道,我們是在他內。
But the person who keeps God’s word, in them the love of God has indeed reached its perfection. This is how we can be sure we are in him:
6 那說自己住在他內的,就應當照那一位所行的去行。
whoever claims to live in him should live just as Jesus did.
7 可愛的諸位,我給你們寫的,不是一條新命令,而是你們從起初領受的舊命令:這舊命令就是你們所聽的道理。
Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing to you, but an old command, which you have had from the beginning. That old command is the message you have already heard.
8 另一方面說,我給你們寫的也是一條新命令--就是在他和你們身上成為事實的--因為黑暗正在消逝,真光已在照耀。
Yet, in a way, it is a new command that I am writing to you – which is shown true in Christ’s life and in yours – for the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
9 誰說自己在光中,而惱恨自己的弟兄,他至今仍是在黑暗中。
The person who says that they are in the light, and yet hates others, is still in the darkness.
10 凡愛自己弟兄的,就是存留在光中,對於他就沒有任何絆腳石;
The person who loves others is always in the light, and there is nothing within them to cause them to stumble.
11 但是惱恨自己弟兄的,就是在黑暗中,且在黑暗中行走,不知道自己往那裏去,因為黑暗弄瞎了他的眼睛。
The person who hates is in the dark. They stumble along in the darkness; they do not know where they are going because the darkness blinds them.
12 孩子們,我給你們寫說:因他的名字,你們的罪已獲得赦免。
Little children, I am writing to you because your sins have been forgiven for Christ’s sake.
13 父老們,我給你們寫說:你們已認識了從起初就有的那一位。青年們,我給你們寫說:你們已得勝了那惡者。
Parents, I am writing to you because you have come to know him who has been from the beginning. Young people, I am writing to you because you have conquered the evil one. Children, I write to you because you have come to know the Father.
14 小孩子們,我給你們寫過:你們已認識了父。父老們,我給你們寫過:你們已認識了從起初就有的那一位。青年們,我給你們寫過:你們是強壯的,天主的話存留在你們內,你們也得勝了那惡者。
Parents, I write to you because you have learned to know him who has been from the beginning. Young people, I write to you because you are strong, and God’s message is always in your hearts, and you have conquered the evil one.
15 你們不要愛世界,也不要愛世界上的事;誰若愛世界,天父的愛就不在他內。
Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When anyone loves the world, there is no love for the Father in them.
16 原來世界上的一切:肉身的貪慾,眼目的貪慾,以及人生的驕奢,都不是出於父,而是出於世界。
For all that the world can offer – the desires for physical pleasure, the enticements to the eye, the arrogance of wealth – belongs, not to the Father, but to the world.
17 這世界和它的貪慾都要過去;但那履行天主旨意的,卻永遠存在。 (aiōn )
And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but they who do God’s will remain for ever. (aiōn )
18 小孩子們,現在是最末的時期了!就如你們聽說過假基督要來,如今已經出了許多假基督,由此我們就知道現在是最末的時期了。
My children, it is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist was coming; and many antichrists have already arisen. This is why we know that this is the last hour.
19 他們是出於我們中的,但不是屬於我們的,因為,如果是屬於我們的,必存留在我們中;但這是為顯示他們都不是屬於我們。
These people come from our ranks, but they were never truly part of us – if they had been then they would have stayed with us. They left so it would be clear that none of them really belonged to us.
20 至於你們,你們由聖者領受了傅油,並且你們都曉得。
You, however, have been annointed by the Holy One. You all know the truth.
21 我給你們寫信,不是你們不明白真理,而是因為你們明白真理,並明白各種謊言不是出於真理。
I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie can come from the truth.
22 誰是撒謊的呢?豈不是那否認耶穌為默西亞的嗎?那否認父和子的,這人便是假基督。
Who is a liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? That person is the antichrist – one who rejects the Father and the Son.
No one who rejects the Son has the Father; to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father also.
24 至於你們,應把從起初所聽見的,存留在你們內;如果你們從起初所聽見的,存留在你們內,你們必存留在子和父內。
As for you, you must let what you have heard from the beginning continue to live in you. If what you heard from the beginning dwells in you, you will remain both in the Son and the Father.
25 這就是他給我們所預許的恩惠:即永遠的生命。 (aiōnios )
And this is what he himself promised us – eternal life! (aiōnios )
In writing this to you, I have in mind those who are trying to mislead you.
27 至於你們,你們由他所領受的傅油,常存在你們內,你們就不需要誰教訓你們,而是有他的傅油教訓你們一切。這傅油是真實的,決不虛假,所以這傅油怎樣教訓你們,你們就怎樣存留在他內。
As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains with you. You do not need anyone to teach you. His anointing teaches you about everything. What it teaches you is true, it is not a lie. Do what it has taught you: abide in him.
28 現在,孩子們,你們常存在他內罷!為的是當他顯現時,我們可以放心大膽,在他來臨時,不至於在他面前蒙羞。
Yes, my children, remain in him, so that when he appears our confidence doesn’t fail us, and we are not ashamed to meet him at his coming.
29 你們然既然知道他是正義的,就該知道凡履行正義的,都是由他而生的。
Since you know he is righteous, you realise that everyone who does what is right is his child.