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 upon us, that we should be called children of God! The reason the world does not know you is that it did not know him.
2 Bangane abathandekayo, khathesi singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, njalo lokho esizakuba yikho akukaziwa. Kodwa siyakwazi ukuthi lapho ebonakala sizakuba njengaye ngoba sizambona njengoba enjalo.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. But we know that when he appears, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.
3 Wonke umuntu olethemba leli ngaphakathi kwakhe uyazihlambulula njengoba laye ehlambulukile.
Everyone who places this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
4 Umuntu wonke owenza izono wephula umthetho; ngempela isono yikungabi lomthetho.
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
5 Kodwa liyakwazi ukuthi wabonakala ukuze asuse izono zethu. Njalo kuye akulasono.
But you know that he appeared in order to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin.
6 Kakho ohlala kuye oqhubeka esona. Kakho oqhubeka esona owambonayo kumbe omaziyo.
No one who abides in him continues in sin; no one who continues in sin has either seen him or known him.
7 Bantwana abathandekayo, lingavumeli muntu eledukisa. Lowo oyenza okulungileyo ulungile, njengoba laye elungile.
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous.
8 Lowo owonayo ngokaSathane ngoba uSathane wona kusukela ekuqaleni. INdodana kaNkulunkulu yabonakala ukuze ichithe imisebenzi kaSathane.
Whoever practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
9 Kakho ozelwe ngokukaNkulunkulu ozaqhubeka esona, ngoba inhlanyelo kaNkulunkulu ihlala ikubo, abasoze baqhubeke besona ngoba bazelwe nguNkulunkulu.
No one who has been born of God continues in sin, because God's seed abides in him; he cannot continue in sin, because he has been born of God.
10 Sibazi ngalokhu ukuthi abantwana bakaNkulunkulu ngobani kanye lokuthi abangabantwana bakaSathane ngobani. Lowo ongenzi okulungileyo kasuye mntakaNkulunkulu, loba lowo ongamthandiyo umfowabo lodadewabo.
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
11 Leli yilizwi elalizwa kusukela ekuqaleni: Kumele sithandane.
For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
12 Lingabi njengoKhayini, owayengokaSathane wasebulala umfowabo. Wambulalelani na? Ngoba ezakhe izenzo zazizimbi ezomfowabo zilungile.
We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil, but the deeds of his brother were righteous.
13 Lingamangali bazalwane bami nxa umhlaba ulizonda.
Do not be surprised, my brothers, 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 from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love his brother abides in death.
15 Lowo ozonda umzalwane wakhe ungumbulali, njalo liyakwazi ukuthi akulambulali olokuphila okungapheliyo kuye. (aiōnios g166)
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (aiōnios g166)
16 Nanku esazi ngakho ukuthi uthando luyini: UJesu Khristu wadela ukuphila kwakhe ngenxa yethu. Lathi kufanele sidele ukuphila kwethu ngenxa yabazalwane bethu.
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
17 Nxa umuntu enothile abone umzalwane wakhe oswelayo, kodwa angabi lesihawu kuye, uthando lukaNkulunkulu lungaba kuye kanjani na?
If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 Bantwana abathandekayo, kasingathandi ngamazwi loba ulimi kuphela kodwa ngezenzo langeqiniso.
My little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in deed and truth.
19 Ngalokhu sazi kanje ukuthi singabeqiniso lokuthi sizibeka njani inhliziyo zethu ekuphumuleni phambi kwakhe
By this we know that we are of the truth and can reassure our hearts before him:
20 lapho inhliziyo zethu zisilahla. Ngoba uNkulunkulu mkhulu kakhulu kulezinhliziyo zethu njalo wazi izinto zonke.
If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things.
21 Bazalwane abathandekayo, nxa inhliziyo zethu zingasilahli, silesibindi phambi kukaNkulunkulu
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22 njalo samukela kuye konke esikucelayo ngoba siyayilalela imilayo yakhe senze okumthokozisayo.
and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight.
23 Nanku umlayo wakhe: ukukholwa ebizweni leNdodana yakhe, uJesu Khristu, lokuthandana njengokusilaya kwakhe.
And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded.
24 Labo abalalela imilayo yakhe bahlala kuye, laye kubo. Njalo sikwazi ngalokhu ukuthi uhlala kithi: Sikwazi ngoMoya asinika yena.
Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God abides in him. And we know that he abides in us because of the Spirit he has given us.
