< 1 UJohane 4 >

1 Bathandekayo, lingakholwa wonke umoya, kodwa hlolani omoya, ukuthi bavela kuNkulunkulu yini; ngoba banengi abaprofethi bamanga abaphumele emhlabeni.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 Ngalokhu liyamazi uMoya kaNkulunkulu: Wonke umoya ovumayo ukuthi uJesu Kristu uzile enyameni, uvela kuNkulunkulu;
By this ye know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ hath come in the flesh is from God:
3 futhi wonke umoya ongavumiyo ukuthi uJesu Kristu usezile enyameni, kaveli kuNkulunkulu; lalo ungowomphikuKristu, eselizwile ukuthi uyeza, lakhathesi usekhona emhlabeni.
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not from God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it should come; and even now already it is in the world.
4 Lina lingabakaNkulunkulu, bantwanyana, futhi libanqobile; ngoba mkhulu okini kulalowo osemhlabeni.
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 Bona bangabomhlaba; ngenxa yalokho bakhuluma okuvela emhlabeni, njalo umhlaba uyabezwa.
They are of the world: therefore they speak from the world, and the world heareth them.
6 Thina singabakaNkulunkulu; omaziyo uNkulunkulu, uyasizwa; ongeyisuye kaNkulunkulu, kasizwa. Ngalokhu siyamazi umoya weqiniso lomoya wokuduha.
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
7 Bathandekayo, asithandaneni; ngoba uthando luvela kuNkulunkulu, laye wonke othandayo, uzelwe nguNkulunkulu, futhi uyamazi uNkulunkulu.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is from God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 Ongathandiyo, kamazi uNkulunkulu; ngoba uNkulunkulu uluthando.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 Ngalokhu uthando lukaNkulunkulu lwabonakaliswa kithi, ukuthi uNkulunkulu wathuma iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa emhlabeni, ukuze siphile ngayo.
In this was revealed the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Uthando lukulokhu, kungesikuthi thina samthanda uNkulunkulu, kodwa ukuthi yena wasithanda, wasethuma iNdodana yakhe ukuthi ibe yinhlawulo yokuthula ngezono zethu.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Bathandekayo, uba uNkulunkulu wasithanda ngokunje, lathi sifanele ukuthandana.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 Kakulamuntu owake wabona uNkulunkulu; uba sithandana, uNkulunkulu uhlala kithi, lothando lwakhe luphelelisiwe kithi.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 Ngalokhu siyazi ukuthi sihlala kuye, laye kithi, ngoba usinikile okukaMoya wakhe.
By this we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 Thina sesibonile siyafakaza ukuthi uYise uyithumile iNdodana ibe nguMsindisi womhlaba.
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Loba ngubani ovumayo ukuthi uJesu uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uhlala kuye, laye kuNkulunkulu.
Whoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 Thina sesisazi sakholwa uthando uNkulunkulu alalo kithi. UNkulunkulu uluthando, njalo ohlala ethandweni uhlala kuNkulunkulu, loNkulunkulu kuye.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Ngalokhu uthando luphelelisiwe lathi, ukuze sibe lesibindi osukwini lokwahlulelwa, ngoba njengalokhu enjalo yena, sinjalo lathi kulumhlaba.
In this is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 Kakukho ukwesaba ethandweni, kodwa uthando olupheleleyo luyaxotsha ukwesaba, ngoba ukwesaba kulobuhlungu; lowesabayo kapheleliswanga ethandweni.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 Thina siyamthanda, ngoba yena wasithanda kuqala.
We love him, because he first loved us.
20 Uba umuntu esithi: Ngiyamthanda uNkulunkulu, njalo ezonda umzalwane wakhe, ungumqambimanga; ngoba ongamthandiyo umzalwane wakhe ambonileyo, angamthanda njani uNkulunkulu angambonanga?
If a man saith, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 Njalo silalumlayo ovela kuye, ukuthi othanda uNkulunkulu, kamthande lomzalwane wakhe.
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

< 1 UJohane 4 >