1 Jaona 4
1 Ry malala, aza mino ny fanahy rehetra, fa izahao toetra ny fanahy, na avy amin’ Andriamanitra ireny, na tsia, satria maro ny mpaminany sandoka efa lasa any amin’ izao tontolo izao.
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers have gone out into the world.
2 Izao no ahafantaranareo ny Fanahin’ Andriamanitra: Ny fanahy rehetra izay manaiky fa efa tonga tamin’ ny nofo Jesosy Kristy no avy amin’ Andriamanitra;
The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man is from God,
3 ary ny fanahy rehetra izay tsy manaiky an’ i Jesosy dia tsy mba avy amin’ Andriamanitra; ary izany no fanahin’ ny antikristy, izay efa renareo fa ho avy, sady efa eo amin’ izao tontolo izao sahady izy.
and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it is already in the world.
4 Anaka, ianareo dia avy amin’ Andriamanitra ary efa naharesy ireny, satria lehibe Izay ao aminareo noho izay ao amin’ izao tontolo izao.
As for you, dear children, you are God's children, and have successfully resisted them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 Isan’ izao tontolo izao ireny, ka dia miteny araka ny an’ izao tontolo izao izy, ary mihaino azy izao tontolo izao.
They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.
6 Avy amin’ Andriamanitra izahay; izay mahalala an’ Andriamanitra no mihaino anay; Izay tsy avy amin’ Andriamanitra tsy mba mihaino anay. Izany no ahafantarantsika ny fanahin’ ny fahamarinana sy ny fanahin’ ny fampiviliana.
The man who is beginning to know God listens to us, but he who is not a child of God does not listen to us. By this test we can distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.
7 Ry malala, aoka hifankatia isika; fa avy amin’ Andriamanitra ny fitiavana, ary Izay rehetra tia no naterak’ Andriamanitra sady mahalala an’ Andriamanitra.
Dear friends, let us love one another; for love has its origin in God, and every one who loves has become a child of God and is beginning to know God.
8 Izay tsy tia dia tsy mba mahalala an’ Andriamanitra; fa Andriamanitra dia fitiavana.
He who is destitute of love has never had any knowledge of God; because God is love.
9 Izao no nanehoana ny fitiavan’ Andriamanitra antsika: Andriamanitra naniraka ny Zanani-lahy Tokana tamin’ izao tontolo izao, mba hahavelona antsika amin’ ny alalany.
God's love for us has been manifested in that He has sent His only Son into the world so that we may have Life through Him.
10 Izao no fitiavana: tsy ny nitiavantsika an’ Andriamanitra fa ny nitiavany antsika, ka nirahiny ny Zanany ho avotra’ noho ny fahotantsika.
This is love indeed--we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Ry malala, raha izany no nitiavan’ Andriamanitra antsika, dia mba tokony hifankatia kosa isika.
Dear friends, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 Tsy mbola nisy olona nahita an’ Andriamanitra na oviana na oviana. Raha mifankatia isika, dia mitoetra ato amintsika Andriamanitra, ary tanteraka ato amintsika ny fitiavany.
No one has ever yet seen God. If we love one another, God continues in union with us, and His love in all its perfection is in our hearts.
13 Izao no ahafantarantsika fa mitoetra ao aminy isika, ary Izy ato amintsika, dia ny nanomezany antsika ny Fanahiny.
We can know that we are continuing in union with Him and that He is continuing in union with us, by the fact that He has given us a portion of His Spirit.
14 Ary izahay efa nahita ka manambara fa ny Ray efa naniraka ny Zanaka ho Mpamonjy izao tontolo izao.
And we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Na iza na iza manaiky fa Zanak’ Andriamanitra Jesosy, dia mitoetra ao aminy Andriamanitra, ary izy kosa ao amin’ Andriamanitra.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God--God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with God.
16 Ary isika efa mahalala sy mino ny fitiavan’ Andriamanitra antsika. Andriamanitra dia fitiavana; ary izay mitoetra amin’ ny fitiavana no mitoetra ao amin’ Andriamanitra, ary Andriamanitra ao aminy.
And, as for us, we know the love which God has for us, and we confide in it. God is love, and he who continues to love continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him.
17 Izany no ahatanterahana ny fitiavana amintsika, mba hananantsika fahasahiana amin’ ny andro fitsarana; fa tahaka Azy isika eo amin’ izao tontolo izao.
Our love will be manifested in all its perfection by our having complete confidence on the day of the Judgement; because just what He is, we also are in the world.
18 Tsy manan-tahotra ny fitiavana; fa ny fitiavana tanteraka mandroaka ny tahotra; fa mampahory ny tahotra. Fa izay matahotra dia tsy mbola tanteraka amin’ ny fitiavana.
Love has in it no element of fear; but perfect love drives away fear, because fear involves pain, and if a man gives way to fear, there is something imperfect in his love.
19 Isika tia, satria Izy efa dia antsika taloha.
We love because God first loved us.
20 Raha misy manao hoe: Tia an’ Andriamanitra aho, nefa mankahala ny rahalahiny, dia mpandainga izy; fa izay tsy tia ny rahalahiny izay hitany, hataony ahoana no fitia an’ Andriamanitra Izay tsy hitany?
If any one says that he loves God, while he hates his brother man, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother man whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 Ary izao no didy efa azontsika taminy: Izay tia an’ Andriamanitra dia tsy maintsy tia ny rahalahiny koa.
And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.
