1 Yohana 4
1 Wapendwa, msiamini kila roho, bali zijaribuni hizo roho mwone kama zimetoka kwa Mungu, kwa sababu manabii wengi wa uongo wametokea ulimwenguni.
Dear friends, don't trust every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to find out whether they're from God, for there are many false prophets out there in the world.
2 Hivi ndivyo mnavyoweza kutambua Roho wa Mungu: Kila roho inayokubali kwamba Yesu Kristo amekuja katika mwili yatoka kwa Mungu.
How can you recognize God's Spirit? Every spirit that accepts Jesus Christ came with a human body is from God;
3 Lakini kila roho ambayo haimkubali Yesu haitoki kwa Mungu. Hii ndiyo roho ya mpinga Kristo, ambayo mmesikia kwamba inakuja na sasa tayari iko ulimwenguni.
while every spirit that doesn't accept Jesus, that spirit isn't from God. In fact it is the spirit of the antichrist which you heard was coming, and which is already in the world.
4 Watoto wapendwa, ninyi mmetokana na Mungu, nanyi mmewashinda kwa sababu yeye aliye ndani yenu ni mkuu kuliko yeye aliye katika ulimwengu.
But you belong to God, my friends, and you have defeated them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
5 Wao wanatokana na ulimwengu na kwa hiyo hunena yaliyo ya ulimwengu, hivyo ulimwengu huwasikiliza.
They belong to the world, so they speak like people of the world, and the world listens to them.
6 Sisi twatokana na Mungu na yeyote anayemjua Mungu hutusikiliza, lakini asiyetokana na Mungu hatusikilizi. Hivi ndivyo tunavyoweza kutambua Roho wa Kweli na roho ya upotovu.
We belong to God and whoever knows God listens to us, while whoever doesn't belong to God doesn't listen to us. This is how we can distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of deception.
7 Wapendwa, tupendane, kwa kuwa pendo latoka kwa Mungu. Kila apendaye amezaliwa na Mungu, naye anamjua Mungu.
Dear friends, let's go on loving one another, for love comes from God. All those who love are born of God and know God.
8 Yeye asiyependa hamjui Mungu, kwa sababu Mungu ni pendo.
Those who don't love don't know God, for God is love.
9 Hivi ndivyo Mungu alivyoonyesha pendo lake kwetu: Mungu alimtuma Mwanawe wa pekee ulimwenguni, ili tupate uzima kupitia kwake.
How was God's love shown to us? God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could live through him.
10 Hili ndilo pendo: si kwamba tulimpenda Mungu, bali yeye alitupenda, akamtuma Mwanawe, ili yeye awe dhabihu ya upatanisho kwa ajili ya dhambi zetu.
This is love! It's not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and he sent his Son to be the reconciliation for our sins.
11 Marafiki wapendwa, kama Mungu alivyotupenda sisi, imetupasa na sisi kupendana.
Friends, if this is the way God loves us, we ought to love one another like this too.
12 Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyemwona Mungu wakati wowote. Lakini tukipendana, Mungu anakaa ndani yetu, na pendo lake limekamilika ndani yetu.
No one has ever seen God. However, if we love one another then God lives in us, and his love is fulfilled in us.
13 Tunajua kwamba twakaa ndani yake na yeye ndani yetu, kwa sababu ametupa sisi sehemu ya Roho wake.
How can we know that we live in him, and that he lives in us? He's given us the ability to love by his Spirit.
14 Nasi tumeona na kushuhudia kwamba Baba amemtuma Mwanawe ili awe Mwokozi wa ulimwengu.
For we are witnesses to what we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son as the Savior of the world.
15 Kila akiriye kwamba Yesu ni Mwana wa Mungu, basi Mungu hukaa ndani yake, naye ndani ya Mungu.
God lives in everyone who declares that Jesus is the Son of God, and they live in God.
16 Hivyo nasi twajua na kulitumainia pendo la Mungu alilo nalo kwa ajili yetu. Mungu ni Upendo. Kila akaaye katika upendo hukaa ndani ya Mungu na Mungu hukaa ndani yake.
We have experienced and trusted in the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them.
17 Kwa njia hii, pendo hukamilishwa miongoni mwetu ili tupate kuwa na ujasiri katika siku ya hukumu, kwa sababu kama alivyo ndivyo tulivyo sisi katika ulimwengu huu.
This is how love is made complete in us so that we can be confident on judgment day: by the fact that we live just like him in this world.
18 Katika pendo hakuna hofu. Lakini pendo lililo kamili huitupa nje hofu, kwa sababu hofu inahusika na adhabu. Kila mwenye hofu hakukamilika katika pendo.
Where there is love there can be no fear. God loves us completely, and this love drives all our fears away. If we do fear, it's because we fear being punished, and this shows that we have not been fully re-made by the completeness of God's love.
19 Twampenda yeye kwa sababu yeye alitupenda kwanza.
We love because he loved us first.
20 Ikiwa mtu atasema, “Nampenda Mungu,” lakini anamchukia ndugu yake, yeye ni mwongo. Kwa maana kila mtu asiyempenda ndugu yake ambaye anamwona, atampendaje Mungu asiyemuona?
Anyone who says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, is a liar. Anyone who doesn't love a brother whom they can see, can't love God whom they can't see.
21 Naye ametupa amri hii: Yeyote anayempenda Mungu lazima pia ampende ndugu yake.
This is the command he gave to us: those who love God love their brothers and sisters too.
