1 Joni 4

1 Ronenimote, vahe'mo'za maka avamuteti nehune hanaza zankura tamentinti osiho. Hianagi Anumzamofontegati ne-efi avame anteta keho. Na'ankure rama'a havige kasnampa vahera, ama mopafina vuno eno hu'ne.

Dear friends, many people [who have a false message] are teaching it to people [MTY]. So do not trust every [message that someone claims/says that God’s] Spirit [MTY] [gave to him]. Instead, (test/think carefully about) the teachings that [you hear] in order to know whether they are from God or not.

2 Amanahu kantegati Anumzamofo avamure hunka kenka eri fore hugahane. Ina vahe'mo huama huno Jisasi'a, Kraisikino mopare avufa erino e'ne hania avamura Anumzamofontegati e'ne.

[I will tell] you how to recognize [teachings that come from] the Spirit of God: Those who affirm/say that Jesus Christ came [from God] to become a human [like us] are [teaching a message] that is from God.

3 Hianagi vahe'mo'ma huama huno, Jisasi'a Anumzamofontegatira ome'ne hania avamura, e'i Anumzamofontegatira ome'neanki, Kraisima huhaviza hunte havige enti Kraisi, ko'ma egahie higetma antahi'nazana, menina ko ama mopafi fore huno mani'ne.

But those who do not affirm/say [that about] Jesus are not [teaching a message] from God. [They are teachers who] oppose Christ. You have heard that people like that are coming [to be among us]. Even now they are already here!

4 Mofavre naganimote Anumzamofo mofavre mani'naze. Mani'nageno tamagu'afima mani'nea Avamu'mo'a, mopafima mani'nea havi avamura agatere'ne.

As for you who are very dear to me, you belong to God, and you have refused [the false messages] that those people [teach], because [God], who enables you [to do what he wants], is (greater/more powerful) than ([Satan/the devil]), who enables (godless people/people who conduct their lives in a way that displeases God) [MTY].

5 Zamagra ama mopafi vahere, ana hu'nagu kema hazana mopafi zankuke nehazageno, mopafi vahe'mo'za ke'zamia nentahize.

As for [those who are teaching what is false], they are (godless people/people whose lives are displeasing to God) [MTY]. Because of that, they teach what (godless people/people whose lives are displeasing to God) [MTY] want to hear. That is why the (godless people/people whose lives displease God) [MTY] listen to them.

6 Tagra Anumzamofo nagare, Anumzamofoma keno antahino hu'nemo'a, ketia nentahie. Hianagi Anumzamofo naga'ma omani'namo'za ketia nontahize. E'inama higeta keta antahita huta tamage Avamuki, havi avamuki huta nehune.

As for us [(exc)], [because] we belong to God, whoever (knows/has a close relationship with) God listens to us. [But] those who do not belong to God do not listen to us. That is how we can know whether [the things that people are teaching] [MTY] are true or whether they are false, and deceiving [people].

7 Ronenimote, rumokizmigura ovesinte avesinte hanune, na'ankure avesinte'zana Anumzamofompinti e'ne. Maka vahe'mo'za ovesinte avesintema nehaza vahera, Anumzamo'a nezmafa'za nehige'za, Anumzamofona ke'za antahi'za nehaze.

Dear friends, we must love each other, because God [enables us] to love [each other], and because those who love [their fellow believers] have become God’s children and (know/have a close relationship with) him.

8 Vaheku'ma avesima onte vahe'mo'a, Anumzamofona keno antahino osu'ne. Na'ankure Anumzamo'a avesizamofo agafa'e.

God’s [nature] is to love [all people]. So those who do not love [their fellow believers] do not (know/have a relationship with) God.

9 Anumzamo'ma avesi rante'neazama eri taveri hu'neana amane, ana kankamuntetire, Agripinti tasimura erisunegu magoke ante'nea mofavre'a ama mopafina huntegeno e'ne.

I will tell you how God has shown us [that he] loves us: He sent (his only Son/the only one who was also God) [to live] on the earth to enable us to live [eternally] as a result of [our trusting in what] he [accomplished for us by dying for us].

10 Ama ana avesi'zana, tamage tagra Anumzamofona avesi ontenonkeno, Agra'a tagrira avesi ranteno, magoke ante'nea Nemofona huntegeno, kumitimofona nona huno apaserante'ne.

[And God] has shown [us what it means to] love [another person]: [It does] not [mean] that we loved God, but [it means] that God loved us and sent (his Son/the one who was also God) to sacrifice [his life] in order that [our sins might be forgiven] {[he might forgive] our sins}.

11 Ronenimote, Anumzamo'ma tagri'ma avesi rante'nenigeta, anazanke huta rumokizmia tagra ovesinte avesinte hugahune.

Dear friends, since God loves us like that, we certainly ought to love each other!

12 Mago vahe'mo'e huno Anumzamofona onke'ne, tagrama rumokizmigu ovesinte avesintema hanunkeno'a, Anumzamo'a tagrane manina, Agri avesizamo'a fatgo huno tagrane megahie.

No one has ever seen God. [Nevertheless], if we love each other, [it is evident that] God lives within us and that we love others just like he [intends/wants us to do].

13 E'ina'ma hanuta tagra antahita keta huta Anumzamo'ene mani'none hanunkeno, Agra tagrane nemanie. Na'ankure Agra'a Avamura tamigeno tagrane mani'ne.

[I will tell you] how we can be sure that we have a close relationship with God and that God is within us: He has put his Spirit within us.

14 Tagra negeta huama huta Nefa'a, Nemofo huntegeno ama mopafi vahe'mota tahoke heno taza hunaku e'ne.

We [apostles] have seen (God’s Son/the one who is also God), and [we tell people] that the Father sent him to save [the people in] the world [MTY] [from being punished for their sins].

15 Hagi mago'a vahe'mo'ma Jisasinku Anumzamofo mofavre huno'ma huama'ma hanimofona, Anumzamo'a Agripi manigeno, anamo'a Anumzamofompi mani'ne.

[So] those who affirm/say that Jesus is the (Son of/one who is also) God, God is within them, and they have a close relationship with God.

16 Tagra keta antahita nehuta, tamentintia Anumzamo'ma avesima rante'nea'zankura nehune. Anumzamo'a avesi'zamofo agafa'e. Hanki iza'o avesizama'afima manisimo'a, Anumzamofompi maninigeno, Anumzamo'a agripi manigahie.

We have experienced how God loves us and we believe that he loves us. [As a result, we love others. Because] God’s [nature] is to love people, those who continue to love [others] have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them.

17 Ana avesizamo'ma fatgo huno tagranema mesigeta, refko'ma hania knarera, hanavetita otigahune. Na'ankure ama mopafi mani'nonanagi, Jisasikna huta fatgo huta mani'nonkeno'e.

We [should] love others completely. And if we do that, when the time comes for [him to] judge us, we will be confident [that he will not condemn us] (OR, [that we have a close relationship with him]). [We will be confident of that] because of our [conducting our lives] in this world as Christ did.

18 Avesinte zampina koro'ma hu'zana omane'ne, hianagi tamage avesi'zamo'a, koroma hu'zana erinetre. Na'ankure koro'ma haniana refko'ma hurante'zankure. Knama eri'zanku'ma koro'ma hanimofona, avesinte'zana fatgo huno agripina omane'ne.

We will not be afraid [of God] if we [truly] love [him], because those who love [God] completely cannot possibly be afraid [of him]. [We would be] afraid only [if we thought that he would] punish us. So those who are afraid [of God certainly] are not loving [God] completely.

19 Tagripima ovesinte avesinte avu'ava'ma me'neana, na'ankure Agra esera avesirante'ne.

We love [God and our fellow believers] because God loved us first.

20 Hagi mago'mo huno, Anumzamofo navesinentoe nehuno, amentintima nehia nefuma avesi ontesuno'a, havige vahe mani'ne. Na'ankure mago'mo amentinti nehia nefuma negemofama avesi ontesuno'a, Anumzana nonkemofona avesi ontegahie.

[So] those who say “I love God” but hate a fellow believer are lying. Those who do not love one of their fellow believers, whom they have seen, certainly cannot be loving God, whom they have not seen.

21 Jisasi'a amanage huno kasegea tami'ne, Anumzamofoma avesintesimo'a, amentinti nehia nefuna ana huno avesintegahie.

Keep in mind that this is what God has commanded us: If we love him, we must also love our fellow believers.