1 John 3
1 Think what love the Father has shown us in allowing us to be called ‘Children of God’; as indeed we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it has not learned to know him.
Oneni ni pendo la namna gani ametupatia Baba, kwamba tunaitwa watoto wa Mungu, na hivi ndivyo tulivyo. Kwa sababu hii ulimwengu haututambui kwa kuwa haukumtambua yeye.
2 Dear friends, we are God’s Children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we shall be like Christ; because we shall see him as he is.
Wapendwa sisi sasa ni watoto wa Mungu, na haijadhihirika bado jinsi tutakavyokuwa. Twajua kwamba Kristo atakapoonekana, tutafanana naye, kwani tutamuona kama alivyo.
3 And every one who has this hope with regard to Christ tries to make himself pure — as Christ is pure.
Na kila mmoja ambaye ana ujasiri huu kuhusu wakati ujao ulioelekezwa kwake, hujitakasa mwenyewe kama yeye alivyo mtakatifu.
4 Every one who lives sinfully is living in violation of Law. Sin is violation of Law.
Kila mtu anayeendelea kutenda dhambi huvunja sheria. Kwa sababu dhambi ni uvunjaji sheria.
5 And you know that Christ appeared to take away our sins; and in him Sin has no place.
Mnajua Kristo alidhihilishwa ili kuziondoa dhambi kabisa. Na ndani yake hamna dhambi.
6 No one who maintains union with him lives in sin; no one who lives in sin has ever really seen him or learned to know him.
Hakuna hata mmoja adumue ndani yake na kuendelea kutenda dhambi. Hakuna mtu hata mmoja adumuye katika dhambi ikiwa amemuona au kumfahamu yeye.
7 My Children, do not let any one mislead you. He who lives righteously is righteous — as Christ is righteous.
Watoto wapendwa, msikubali kupotoshwa na mtu yeyote. Atendaye haki ni mwenye haki, kama vile Kristo naye alivyo mwenye haki.
8 He who lives sinfully belongs to the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the first. It was for this that the Son of God appeared, that he might undo the Devil’s work.
Atendaye dhambi ni wa ibilisi, kwa sababu ibilisi ni mtenda dhambi tangu mwanzo. Kwa sababu hii Mwana wa Mungu alidhihilishwa ili aweze kuziharibu kazi za ibilisi.
9 No one who has received the new Life from God lives sinfully, because the very nature of God dwells within him; and he cannot live in sin, because he has received the new Life from God.
Yeyote aliyezaliwa na Mungu hatendi dhambi, kwa sababu mbegu ya Mungu hukaa ndani yake. Hawezi kuendelea kutenda dhambi kwa sababu amezaliwa na Mungu.
10 By this the Children of God are distinguished from the Children of the Devil — No one who lives unrighteously comes from God, and especially the man who does not love his Brother.
Katika hili watoto wa Mungu na watoto wa ibilisi wanafahamika. Yeyote asiyetenda kilicho cha haki, siyo wa Mungu, wala yule ambaye hawezi kumpenda ndugu yake.
11 For these are the Tidings that we heard from the first — that we are to love one another.
Kwani huu ndio ujumbe mliousikia kutoka mwanzo, kwamba tunapaswa kupendana sisi kwa sisi,
12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother’s was good.
siyo kama Kaini ambaye alikuwa wa mwovu na alimuua ndugu yake. Na kwa nini alimuua? Kwa sababu matendo yake yalikuwa maovu, na yale ya ndugu yake yalikuwa ya haki.
13 Do not wonder, Brothers, if the world hates you.
Ndugu zangu, msishangae, endapo ulimwengu utawachukia.
14 We know that we have passed out of Death into Life, because we love our Brothers. The man who does not love remains in a state of Death.
Twajua tumekwisha toka mautini na kuingia uzimani, kwa sababu tunawapenda ndugu. Yeyote ambaye hana upendo hudumu katika mauti.
15 Every one who hates his Brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has Immortal Life within him. (aiōnios g166)
Mtu yeyote anaye mchukia ndugu yake ni muuaji. Na mnajua kuwa uzima wa milele haukai ndani ya muuaji. (aiōnios g166)
16 We have learned to know what love is from this — that Christ laid down his life on our behalf. Therefore we also ought to lay down our lives on behalf of our Brothers.
Katika hili tunalijua pendo, kwa sababu kristo aliutoa uhai wake kwa ajili yetu. Nasi yatupasa kuyatoa maisha yetu kwa ajili ya ndugu.
17 But, if any one has worldly possessions, and yet looks on while his Brother is in want, and steels his heart against him, how can it be said that the love of God is within him?
Lakini yeyote aliye na vitu, na anamuona ndugu yake mwenye uhitaji, lakini huuzuia moyo wake wa huruma kwa ajili yake; je, upendo wa Mungu unakaaje ndani yake?
18 My children, do not let our love be mere words, or end in talk; let it be true and show itself in acts.
Watoto wangu wapenzi, tusipende kwa midomo wala kwa maneno matupu bali katika vitendo na kweli.
19 By that we shall know that we are on the side of the Truth; and we shall satisfy ourselves in God’s sight,
Katika hili tunajua kwamba sisi tuko katika kweli, na mioyo yetu inathibitika katika yeye.
20 that if our conscience condemns us, yet God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.
Ikiwa kama mioyo yetu yatuhukumu, Mungu ni mkuu kuliko mioyo yetu, na yeye hujua mambo yote.
21 Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we approach God with confidence,
Wapenzi, kama mioyo yetu haituhukumu, tunao ujasiri kwa Mungu.
22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are laying his commands to heart, and are doing what is pleasing in his sight.
Na chochote tuombacho tutakipokea kutoka kwake, kwa sababu tunazishika amri zake na tunafanya mambo yanayopendeza mbele zake.
23 His Command is this — that we should put our trust in the Name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, in accordance with the Command that he gave us.
Na hii ndiyo amri yake- ya kwamba yatupasa kuamini katika jina la Mwanaye Yesu Kristo na kupendana sisi kwa sisi-kama alivyotupatia amri yake.
24 And he who lays his commands to heart maintains union with Christ, and Christ with him. And by this we know that Christ maintains union with us — by our possession of the Spirit which he gave us.
Anayezitii amri zake hudumu ndani yake, na Mungu hukaa ndani yake. Na kwa sababu hii twajua kuwa hukaa ndani yetu, Kwa yule Roho aliyetupa.
