ヨハネの手紙第一 3
1 視よ、父の我らに賜ひし愛の如何に大なるかを。我ら神の子と稱へらる。既に神の子たり、世の我らを知らぬは、父を知らぬによりてなり。
See what great love the Father has lavished on us: he lets us be called God’s children! For that is what we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it has not learned to know him.
2 愛する者よ、我等いま神の子たり、後いかん、未だ顯れず、主の現れたまふ時われら之に肖んことを知る。我らその眞の状を見るべければなり。
Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is that, when it is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.
3 凡て主による此の希望を懷く者は、その清きがごとく己を潔くす。
And just as he is pure, everyone who has this hope, makes and keeps themselves pure.
4 すべて罪をおこなふ者は不法を行ふなり、罪は即ち不法なり。
Everyone who lives sinfully is living in violation of God’s law. Sin is lawlessness.
5 汝らは知る、主の現れ給ひしは罪を除かん爲なるを。主には罪あることなし。
You know that Christ appeared to take away our sins and that there is no sin in him.
6 おほよそ主に居る者は罪を犯さず、おほよそ罪を犯す者は未だ主を見ず、主を知らぬなり。
No one who lives in him continues to sin; the sinner has not seen or known him.
7 若子よ、人に惑さるな、義をおこなふ者は義人なり、即ち主の義なるがごとし。
My children, don’t let anyone mislead you. The person who does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.
8 罪を行ふものは惡魔より出づ、惡魔は初より罪を犯せばなり。神の子の現れ給ひしは、惡魔の業を毀たん爲なり。
The person who lives in sin is a child of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To undo the devil’s work is the reason the Son of God appeared.
9 凡て神より生るる者は罪を行はず、神の種、その衷に止るに由る。彼は神より生るる故に罪を犯すこと能はず。
No child of God sins, because God’s nature dwells in them. They can’t live in sin, because they are God’s children.
10 之に由りて神の子と惡魔の子とは明かなり。おほよそ義を行はぬ者および己が兄弟を愛せぬ者は神より出づるにあらず。
By this it is made clear who are the children of God and who are the devil’s: anyone who doesn’t do what is right or doesn’t love others is not a child of God.
11 われら互に相 愛すべきは汝らが初より聞きし音信なり。
For this is the message we heard from the beginning: we are to love one another.
12 カインに效ふな、彼は惡しき者より出でて己が兄弟を殺せり。何 故ころしたるか、己が行爲は惡しく、その兄弟の行爲は正しかりしに因る。
We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his actions were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.
13 兄弟よ、世は汝らを憎むとも怪しむな。
Do not be suprised, friends, if the world hates you.
14 われら兄弟を愛するによりて、死より生命に移りしを知る、愛せぬ者は死のうちに居る。
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love each other. The person who does not love remains in a state of death.
The person who hates another is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life dwelling within them. (aiōnios g166)
16 主は我らの爲に生命を捨てたまへり、之によりて愛といふことを知りたり、我等もまた兄弟のために生命を捨つべきなり。
This is how we know what love is: Christ gave his life for us. So we should lay down our own lives for each other.
17 世の財寶をもちて兄弟の窮乏を見、反つて憐憫の心を閉づる者は、いかで神の愛その衷にあらんや。
If anyone has material possessions, and sees one of our own in need, but closes their heart against that person, how can it be said that the love of God is within them?
18 若子よ、われら言と舌とをもて相 愛することなく、行爲と眞實とを以てすべし。
My children, our love must not be mere words or talk. It must be true and show itself in actions.
19 之に由りて我ら眞理より出でしを知り、且われらの心われらを責むとも神の前に心を安んずべし。
This is how we will know we belong to the truth and reassure ourselves in God’s presence:
20 神は我らの心よりも大にして一切のことを知り給へばなり。
though our conscience condemns us, God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.
21 愛する者よ、我らが心みづから責むる所なくば、神に向ひて懼なし。
Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we approach God with confidence,
22 且すべて求むる所を神より受くべし。是その誡命を守りて御心にかなふ所を行へばなり。
and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are keeping his commands, and are doing what pleases him.
23 その誡命はこれなり、即ち我ら神の子イエス・キリストの名を信じ、その命じ給ひしごとく互に相 愛すべきことなり。
His command is that we should believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as Christ commanded us.
24 神の誡命を守る者は神に居り、神もまた彼に居給ふ。我らその賜ふところの御靈に由りて其の我らに居給ふことを知るなり。
The person who keeps his commands dwells in God and God dwells in them. And we are sure he lives in us because of the Spirit he has given us.
