1 John 4
1 Do not believe every spirit, beloved, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Bathandekayo, lingakholwa wonke umoya, kodwa hlolani omoya, ukuthi bavela kuNkulunkulu yini; ngoba banengi abaprofethi bamanga abaphumele emhlabeni.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is from God;
Ngalokhu liyamazi uMoya kaNkulunkulu: Wonke umoya ovumayo ukuthi uJesu Kristu uzile enyameni, uvela kuNkulunkulu;
3 and every spirit which confesses him not, is not from God. And this is that spirit of Antichrist of which you have heard that it is coming, and that now it is already in the world.
futhi wonke umoya ongavumiyo ukuthi uJesu Kristu usezile enyameni, kaveli kuNkulunkulu; lalo ungowomphikuKristu, eselizwile ukuthi uyeza, lakhathesi usekhona emhlabeni.
4 My little children, you are of God and have conquered them; because he that is within you is greater than he that is in the world.
Lina lingabakaNkulunkulu, bantwanyana, futhi libanqobile; ngoba mkhulu okini kulalowo osemhlabeni.
5 They are of the world, and for this reason they speak as of the world, and the world listens to them.
Bona bangabomhlaba; ngenxa yalokho bakhuluma okuvela emhlabeni, njalo umhlaba uyabezwa.
6 But you are of God. He who is beginning to know God listens to us; he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we may distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error.
Thina singabakaNkulunkulu; omaziyo uNkulunkulu, uyasizwa; ongeyisuye kaNkulunkulu, kasizwa. Ngalokhu siyamazi umoya weqiniso lomoya wokuduha.
7 Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loves us a child of God.
Bathandekayo, asithandaneni; ngoba uthando luvela kuNkulunkulu, laye wonke othandayo, uzelwe nguNkulunkulu, futhi uyamazi uNkulunkulu.
8 He who does not love, does not know God; for God is love.
Ongathandiyo, kamazi uNkulunkulu; ngoba uNkulunkulu uluthando.
9 In this was the love of God clearly shown toward us, by his sending his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
Ngalokhu uthando lukaNkulunkulu lwabonakaliswa kithi, ukuthi uNkulunkulu wathuma iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa emhlabeni, ukuze siphile ngayo.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins.
Uthando lukulokhu, kungesikuthi thina samthanda uNkulunkulu, kodwa ukuthi yena wasithanda, wasethuma iNdodana yakhe ukuthi ibe yinhlawulo yokuthula ngezono zethu.
11 If God so loved us, beloved, we also ought to love one another.
Bathandekayo, uba uNkulunkulu wasithanda ngokunje, lathi sifanele ukuthandana.
12 No man has ever gazed on God; but if we love one another, God ever abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Kakulamuntu owake wabona uNkulunkulu; uba sithandana, uNkulunkulu uhlala kithi, lothando lwakhe luphelelisiwe kithi.
13 By this we come to know that we are abiding in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit;
Ngalokhu siyazi ukuthi sihlala kuye, laye kithi, ngoba usinikile okukaMoya wakhe.
14 and we have beheld and do testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Thina sesibonile siyafakaza ukuthi uYise uyithumile iNdodana ibe nguMsindisi womhlaba.
15 If any man confesses that "Jesus is the Son of God." God is abiding in that man, and he in God.
Loba ngubani ovumayo ukuthi uJesu uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uhlala kuye, laye kuNkulunkulu.
16 And we do know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love; and he who is abiding in love is abiding in God, and God is abiding in him.
Thina sesisazi sakholwa uthando uNkulunkulu alalo kithi. UNkulunkulu uluthando, njalo ohlala ethandweni uhlala kuNkulunkulu, loNkulunkulu kuye.
17 In this is love made perfect with us, so that we may have cheerful confidence in the Day of Judgment, because we are living in this world as He lives.
Ngalokhu uthando luphelelisiwe lathi, ukuze sibe lesibindi osukwini lokwahlulelwa, ngoba njengalokhu enjalo yena, sinjalo lathi kulumhlaba.
18 Fear does not exist in love; but love, when it is perfect, drives out fear. For fear has always torment, and he who has fear is not yet perfected in love.
Kakukho ukwesaba ethandweni, kodwa uthando olupheleleyo luyaxotsha ukwesaba, ngoba ukwesaba kulobuhlungu; lowesabayo kapheleliswanga ethandweni.
19 We love because He loved us first.
Thina siyamthanda, ngoba yena wasithanda kuqala.
20 If any one says, "I love God," and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has not seen.
Uba umuntu esithi: Ngiyamthanda uNkulunkulu, njalo ezonda umzalwane wakhe, ungumqambimanga; ngoba ongamthandiyo umzalwane wakhe ambonileyo, angamthanda njani uNkulunkulu angambonanga?
21 And we have this command from God. HE WHO LOVES GOD IS TO LOVE HIS BROTHER ALSO.
Njalo silalumlayo ovela kuye, ukuthi othanda uNkulunkulu, kamthande lomzalwane wakhe.
