1 John 3
1 [Think about] how much our [heavenly] Father loves us! He allows us to (say that we are/be called) his children! [And it is indeed true that] we are [his children. But people in] the world [MTY] [who are unbelievers] have not understood [who] God [is]. So they do not understand [who we are], that we [belong to God].
Tazameni ni pendo kuu namna gani alilotupa Baba, kwamba sisi tuitwe wana wa Mungu! Na ndivyo tulivyo. Kwa sababu hii ulimwengu haututambui, kwa kuwa haukumtambua yeye.
2 Dear friends, even though (at present/now) we are God’s children, [he] has not yet (made clear/revealed) [to us] what we will be like [in the future]. However, we know that when [Christ] comes back again, we will be like him, because we will see what he is [really] like.
Wapendwa, sasa tu wana wa Mungu, lakini bado haijadhihirika tutakavyokuwa, lakini twajua ya kwamba yeye atakapodhihirishwa, tutafanana naye, kwa maana tutamwona kama alivyo.
3 [So], all those who confidently expect [to see Christ as he actually is/what Christ is like when he returns] must keep themselves pure in every way, just like Christ, who is pure in every way.
Kila mmoja mwenye matumaini haya ndani yake hujitakasa, kama vile yeye alivyo mtakatifu.
4 But everyone who continues sinning is refusing to obey [God’s] laws, because that is what sin is, refusing to obey [God’s] laws.
Kila mtu atendaye dhambi afanya uasi, kwa kuwa dhambi ni uasi.
5 You know that Christ came in order to completely remove [the guilt of] our sins. You know also that he never sinned.
Lakini mwajua ya kuwa yeye alidhihirishwa ili aziondoe dhambi, wala ndani yake hamna dhambi.
6 Those who continue [doing what] Christ wants them to, do not continue sinning repeatedly. But those who repeatedly sin have not understood [who Christ is], nor have they had a close relationship with him.
Kila mtu akaaye ndani yake hatendi dhambi. Kila mtu atendaye dhambi hakumwona yeye wala hakumtambua.
7 [So I urge you, ] who are all very dear to me, do not let anyone deceive you [by telling you that it is all right to sin]. If you continue doing what is right, you are righteous, just like Christ is righteous.
Watoto wapendwa, mtu yeyote asiwadanganye. Kila mtu atendaye haki ana haki, kama yeye alivyo na haki.
8 [But] if anyone continues sinning, he is like the devil, because the devil has always been sinning. [And] the reason why God’s Son became a human being was to destroy what the devil has done.
Yeye atendaye dhambi ni wa ibilisi, kwa sababu ibilisi amekuwa akitenda dhambi tangu mwanzo. Kwa kusudi hili Mwana wa Mungu alidhihirishwa, ili aziangamize kazi za ibilisi.
9 People do not continue sinning repeatedly if they have become children of God. Instead, [they] continue [to conduct their lives according to the character/nature that God produced in them] [MET]. They cannot continually sin because God has caused them to become his children.
Yeyote aliyezaliwa na Mungu hatendi dhambi, kwa sababu uzao wa Mungu wakaa ndani yake, wala hawezi kutenda dhambi kwa sababu amezaliwa na Mungu.
10 Those who are God’s children are clearly different from those who are (the devil’s/Satan’s) children. [The way that we can know who are Satan’s children is this]: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children. [Specifically], those who do not love their fellow believers are not [God’s children Instead, they are Satan’s children].
Kwa jinsi hii tunaweza kujua dhahiri watoto wa Mungu na pia watoto wa ibilisi. Yeyote asiyetenda haki hatokani na Mungu, wala yeye asiyempenda ndugu yake.
11 The message that you heard when you first [MTY] [believed in Christ] is that we should love each other.
Hili ndilo neno mlilolisikia tangu mwanzo: Kwamba imetupasa tupendane sisi kwa sisi.
12 [We should] not [hate others] as did [Adam’s son], Cain, who belonged to [Satan], the evil one. [Because Cain hated his younger brother], he murdered him. (I will tell you about why he murdered his brother./Do you know why he murdered his brother [RHQ]?) It was because Cain habitually conducted his life in an evil way, and [he hated his younger brother] because his [younger] brother [conducted his life] righteously.
Msiwe kama Kaini aliyekuwa wa yule mwovu akamuua ndugu yake. Basi kwa nini alimuua? Ni kwa sababu matendo yake Kaini yalikuwa mabaya na ya ndugu yake yalikuwa ya haki.
13 You should not be amazed/surprised, my fellow believers, when [unbelievers] [MTY] hate you.
Ndugu zangu, ninyi msistaajabu kama ulimwengu ukiwachukia.
14 We know that we have been changed from [being spiritually] dead [MET] to [being spiritually] alive. We know this because we love our fellow believers. [Those who] do not love [their fellow believers] are still [spiritually] [MET] dead.
Sisi tunajua ya kwamba tumepita mautini kuingia uzimani, kwa sababu tunawapenda ndugu. Kila asiyempenda ndugu yake akaa mautini.
15 Those who hate [any of] their fellow believers, [God considers] [MET] them [to be] murderers. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
Yeyote amchukiaye ndugu yake ni muuaji, nanyi mwajua ya kwamba muuaji hana uzima wa milele ndani yake. (aiōnios g166)
16 The way that we now know [how to truly] love [our fellow believers is by remembering] that Christ (voluntarily died/gave his life) for us. So, [when our fellow believers need something, we should be willing to help them. We should even be willing to] die for them.
Kwa namna hii twaweza kulijua pendo la Mungu: Kwa sababu Yesu Kristo aliutoa uhai wake kwa ajili yetu. Nasi imetupasa kuutoa uhai kwa ajili ya hao ndugu.
17 Many [of us] have the things that are necessary for us to live in this world. If we become aware that any of our fellow believers do not have what they need and [if we] refuse to ([provide for them/give to them what they need]), it is clear that we do not love God [as we claim/say that we do].
Ikiwa mtu anavyo vitu vya ulimwengu huu na akamwona ndugu yake ni mhitaji lakini asimhurumie, upendo wa Mungu wakaaje ndani ya mtu huyo?
18 [I say to] all of you whom I love dearly, let us not merely say [MTY] that [we love our fellow believers!] Let us genuinely/really love them by doing things [to help them]!
Watoto wapendwa, tusipende kwa maneno au kwa ulimi bali kwa tendo na kweli.
19 When we [truly love our fellow believers], we can be sure that we are [conducting our lives according to] the true message. [As a result], we will not feel guilty/ashamed [when we talk] [MTY] to God.
Basi hivi ndivyo tutakavyoweza kujua ya kuwa sisi tu wa kweli na hivyo twaithibitisha mioyo yetu mbele za Mungu
20 [We can pray confidently], because [although] we might feel guilty/ashamed [about our sins], God is (greater/more worthy to be trusted) than what we feel. He knows everything [about us].
kila mara mioyo yetu inapotuhukumu. Kwa maana Mungu ni mkuu kuliko mioyo yetu, naye anajua kila kitu.
21 Dear friends, when we do not feel guilty [because of our sins], we can pray to God confidently.
Wapendwa, kama mioyo yetu haituhukumu, tunao ujasiri mbele za Mungu,
22 And, when we confidently pray to him and request [something from him], we receive it because we do what he commands [us to do], and because we do what pleases him.
lolote tuombalo, twalipokea kutoka kwake, kwa sababu tumezitii amri zake na kutenda yale yanayompendeza.
23 [I will tell you] what he commands [us to do]: [We must] believe that Jesus Christ is (his Son/the one who is also God). [We must] also love each other, just like he commanded [us to do].
Hii ndiyo amri yake: kwamba tuliamini Jina la Mwanawe, Yesu Kristo, na kupendana sisi kwa sisi kama yeye alivyotuamuru.
24 Those who do what God commands are ones who have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them. [I will tell you how] we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us: It is because [we have] his Spirit, whom he gave to us, that we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us.
Wale wote wanaozishika amri zake hukaa ndani yake na yeye ndani yao. Hivi ndivyo tunavyojua kwamba anakaa ndani yetu. Nasi twajua hili kwa njia ya Roho yule aliyetupa.
