1 UJohane 3
1 Yeka ubukhulu bothando uBaba asinika lona, ukuba sibizwe ngokuthi singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu! Njalo lokho yikho esiyikho! Okwenza umhlaba thina ungasazi yikuthi laye kawumazanga.
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 Bangane abathandekayo, khathesi singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, njalo lokho esizakuba yikho akukaziwa. Kodwa siyakwazi ukuthi lapho ebonakala sizakuba njengaye ngoba sizambona njengoba enjalo.
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 Wonke umuntu olethemba leli ngaphakathi kwakhe uyazihlambulula njengoba laye ehlambulukile.
And just as he is pure, everyone who has this hope, makes and keeps themselves pure.
4 Umuntu wonke owenza izono wephula umthetho; ngempela isono yikungabi lomthetho.
Everyone who lives sinfully is living in violation of God’s law. Sin is lawlessness.
5 Kodwa liyakwazi ukuthi wabonakala ukuze asuse izono zethu. Njalo kuye akulasono.
You know that Christ appeared to take away our sins and that there is no sin in him.
6 Kakho ohlala kuye oqhubeka esona. Kakho oqhubeka esona owambonayo kumbe omaziyo.
No one who lives in him continues to sin; the sinner has not seen or known him.
7 Bantwana abathandekayo, lingavumeli muntu eledukisa. Lowo oyenza okulungileyo ulungile, njengoba laye elungile.
My children, don’t let anyone mislead you. The person who does what is right is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.
8 Lowo owonayo ngokaSathane ngoba uSathane wona kusukela ekuqaleni. INdodana kaNkulunkulu yabonakala ukuze ichithe imisebenzi kaSathane.
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 Kakho ozelwe ngokukaNkulunkulu ozaqhubeka esona, ngoba inhlanyelo kaNkulunkulu ihlala ikubo, abasoze baqhubeke besona ngoba bazelwe nguNkulunkulu.
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 Sibazi ngalokhu ukuthi abantwana bakaNkulunkulu ngobani kanye lokuthi abangabantwana bakaSathane ngobani. Lowo ongenzi okulungileyo kasuye mntakaNkulunkulu, loba lowo ongamthandiyo umfowabo lodadewabo.
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 Leli yilizwi elalizwa kusukela ekuqaleni: Kumele sithandane.
For this is the message we heard from the beginning: we are to love one another.
12 Lingabi njengoKhayini, owayengokaSathane wasebulala umfowabo. Wambulalelani na? Ngoba ezakhe izenzo zazizimbi ezomfowabo zilungile.
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 Lingamangali bazalwane bami nxa umhlaba ulizonda.
Do not be suprised, friends, if the world hates you.
14 Siyakwazi ukuthi sesidlulile ekufeni saya ekuphileni, ngoba siyabathanda abazalwane bethu. Lowo ongathandiyo ulokhu esekufeni.
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.
15 Lowo ozonda umzalwane wakhe ungumbulali, njalo liyakwazi ukuthi akulambulali olokuphila okungapheliyo kuye. (aiōnios g166)
The person who hates another is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life dwelling within them. (aiōnios g166)
16 Nanku esazi ngakho ukuthi uthando luyini: UJesu Khristu wadela ukuphila kwakhe ngenxa yethu. Lathi kufanele sidele ukuphila kwethu ngenxa yabazalwane bethu.
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 Nxa umuntu enothile abone umzalwane wakhe oswelayo, kodwa angabi lesihawu kuye, uthando lukaNkulunkulu lungaba kuye kanjani na?
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 Bantwana abathandekayo, kasingathandi ngamazwi loba ulimi kuphela kodwa ngezenzo langeqiniso.
My children, our love must not be mere words or talk. It must be true and show itself in actions.
19 Ngalokhu sazi kanje ukuthi singabeqiniso lokuthi sizibeka njani inhliziyo zethu ekuphumuleni phambi kwakhe
This is how we will know we belong to the truth and reassure ourselves in God’s presence:
20 lapho inhliziyo zethu zisilahla. Ngoba uNkulunkulu mkhulu kakhulu kulezinhliziyo zethu njalo wazi izinto zonke.
though our conscience condemns us, God is greater than our conscience and knows everything.
21 Bazalwane abathandekayo, nxa inhliziyo zethu zingasilahli, silesibindi phambi kukaNkulunkulu
Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, then we approach God with confidence,
22 njalo samukela kuye konke esikucelayo ngoba siyayilalela imilayo yakhe senze okumthokozisayo.
and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we are keeping his commands, and are doing what pleases him.
23 Nanku umlayo wakhe: ukukholwa ebizweni leNdodana yakhe, uJesu Khristu, lokuthandana njengokusilaya kwakhe.
His command is that we should believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as Christ commanded us.
24 Labo abalalela imilayo yakhe bahlala kuye, laye kubo. Njalo sikwazi ngalokhu ukuthi uhlala kithi: Sikwazi ngoMoya asinika yena.
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.
