1 UJohane 4
1 Bathandekayo, lingakholwa wonke umoya, kodwa hlolani omoya, ukuthi bavela kuNkulunkulu yini; ngoba banengi abaprofethi bamanga abaphumele emhlabeni.
Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test 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 you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 futhi wonke umoya ongavumiyo ukuthi uJesu Kristu usezile enyameni, kaveli kuNkulunkulu; lalo ungowomphikuKristu, eselizwile ukuthi uyeza, lakhathesi usekhona emhlabeni.
and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.
4 Lina lingabakaNkulunkulu, bantwanyana, futhi libanqobile; ngoba mkhulu okini kulalowo osemhlabeni.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 Bona bangabomhlaba; ngenxa yalokho bakhuluma okuvela emhlabeni, njalo umhlaba uyabezwa.
They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
6 Thina singabakaNkulunkulu; omaziyo uNkulunkulu, uyasizwa; ongeyisuye kaNkulunkulu, kasizwa. Ngalokhu siyamazi umoya weqiniso lomoya wokuduha.
We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to 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’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
8 Ongathandiyo, kamazi uNkulunkulu; ngoba uNkulunkulu uluthando.
He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
9 Ngalokhu uthando lukaNkulunkulu lwabonakaliswa kithi, ukuthi uNkulunkulu wathuma iNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa emhlabeni, ukuze siphile ngayo.
By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born 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 as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Bathandekayo, uba uNkulunkulu wasithanda ngokunje, lathi sifanele ukuthandana.
Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.
12 Kakulamuntu owake wabona uNkulunkulu; uba sithandana, uNkulunkulu uhlala kithi, lothando lwakhe luphelelisiwe kithi.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
13 Ngalokhu siyazi ukuthi sihlala kuye, laye kithi, ngoba usinikile okukaMoya wakhe.
By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
14 Thina sesibonile siyafakaza ukuthi uYise uyithumile iNdodana ibe nguMsindisi womhlaba.
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Saviour of the world.
15 Loba ngubani ovumayo ukuthi uJesu uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uhlala kuye, laye kuNkulunkulu.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.
16 Thina sesisazi sakholwa uthando uNkulunkulu alalo kithi. UNkulunkulu uluthando, njalo ohlala ethandweni uhlala kuNkulunkulu, loNkulunkulu kuye.
We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
17 Ngalokhu uthando luphelelisiwe lathi, ukuze sibe lesibindi osukwini lokwahlulelwa, ngoba njengalokhu enjalo yena, sinjalo lathi kulumhlaba.
In this, love has been made perfect amongst us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement, because as he is, even so we are 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 casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears 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 says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
21 Njalo silalumlayo ovela kuye, ukuthi othanda uNkulunkulu, kamthande lomzalwane wakhe.
This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
