ヨハネの手紙第三 1
1 長老、書を愛するガイオ、わが眞をもて愛する者に贈る。
[You(sg) know me as] the [chief] Elder. [I am writing this letter to you], my dear friend Gaius, whom I truly love.
2 愛する者よ、我なんぢが靈魂の榮ゆるごとく汝すべての事に榮え、かつ健かならんことを祈る。
Dear friend, I ask [God that things may go] well for you in every way, [specifically], that you will be physically healthy just like you are spiritually healthy [MTY].
3 兄弟たち來りて汝が眞理を保つこと、即ち眞理に循ひて歩むことを證したれば、われ甚だ喜べり。
I am very happy because some fellow believers have come [here] and told me that you conduct your life in a manner [that is consistent with God’s] true message.
4 我には我が子供の、眞理に循ひて歩むことを聞くより大なる喜悦はなし。
I am very happy when I hear that (people whom I helped to believe in Christ/my [spiritual] children) are conducting their lives like you are!
5 愛する者よ、なんぢ旅人なる兄弟たちにまで行ふ所みな忠實をもて爲せり。
Dear friend, you are [serving Jesus] loyally/faithfully whenever you do things to help fellow believers, [even those whom you] do not know, who are traveling [around doing God’s work].
6 かれら教會の前にて汝の愛につきて證せり。なんぢ神の御意に適ふやうに彼らを見 送らば、その行ふところ善からん。
[Some of] them have reported before the congregation [here how] you have showed that you love them. You should continue to help such people in their travels in a way that is pleasing to God.
7 彼らは異邦人より何をも受けずして御名のために旅立せり。
When those fellow believers went out [to tell people about Jesus] [MTY], the people who do not believe in Christ did not give them anything [to help them].
8 されば斯かる人を助くべきなり、我らも彼らと共に眞理のために働く者とならん爲なり。
So we [who believe in Christ] ought to give food and money to such people to help [them as they teach others God’s] true message.
9 われ曩に聊か教會に書きおくれり。然れど彼らの中に長たらんと欲するデオテレペス我らを受けず。
I wrote [a letter] to the congregation [telling them to help those fellow believers]. However, Diotrephes does not (acknowledge my authority/[pay any attention to what] I wrote), because he (desires to be in charge/wants to be the leader) of [the congregation].
10 この故に我もし往かば、その行へる業を思ひ出させん。彼は惡しき言をもて我らを罵り、なほ足れりとせずして自ら兄弟たちを接けず、之を接けんとする者をも拒みて教會より逐ひ出す。
So, when I arrive [there], I will [publicly] tell what he does: He tells others evil nonsense about us [in order to] harm [us by what he] says, and he is not content with only doing that. He himself refuses to receive the fellow believers who are traveling around doing God’s work, and he also stops those who want to receive them by expelling them from the congregation.
11 愛する者よ、惡に效ふな、善にならへ。善をおこなふ者は神より出で、惡をおこなふ者は未だ神を見ざるなり。
Dear friend, do not imitate a bad [example like that]. Instead, [keep imitating] good [examples. Remember that] people who do good deeds ([truly] belong to God/are [spiritual children] of God), [but] those who do [what is] evil do not (know/have fellowship with) God.
12 デメテリオは凡ての人にも眞理にも證せらる。我等もまた證す、なんぢ我らの證の眞なるを知る。
All [the believers who know Demetrius] say that he [is a good person]. The fact [that he conducts his life in a way that is consistent/in accordance with God’s] true [message] shows [that he is a good person], and we also say the same thing [about him]. You know that what we say [about him] is true. [So it will be good if you welcome him and help him. He is the one who will be bringing this letter to you].
13 我なほ汝に書き贈ること多くあれど、墨と筆とにてするを欲せず、
[When I began] to write this letter, I had much more [that I intended] to tell you. But [now] I do not want to say [it] in a letter [MTY].
14 速かに汝を見、たがひに顏をあはせて語らんことを望む。 汝に平安あれ、朋友たち安否を問ふ。なんぢ名をさして友たちに安否を問へ。
Instead, I expect to [come and] see you soon. Then we will talk directly with one another. [I pray that God will enable] you [to experience inner] peace. Our friends [here] (send you their greetings/say that they are thinking affectionately about you) [MTY]. Tell our friends [there] that we (send our greetings to/are thinking fondly about) them.
