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, do not believe every spirit, but put the spirits to the test to see whether they are from God; for many false teachers have gone out into the world.
2 Hivi ndivyo mnavyoweza kutambua Roho wa Mungu: Kila roho inayokubali kwamba Yesu Kristo amekuja katika mwili yatoka kwa Mungu.
The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as man 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.
and that no spirit is from God which does not acknowledge this about Jesus. Such is the spirit of the anti-Christ; of whose coming you have heard, and it 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.
As for you, dear children, you are God's children, and have successfully resisted them; for greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 Wao wanatokana na ulimwengu na kwa hiyo hunena yaliyo ya ulimwengu, hivyo ulimwengu huwasikiliza.
They are the world's children, and so their language is that of the world, and the world listens to them. We are God's children.
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.
The man who is beginning to know God listens to us, but he who is not a child of God does not listen to us. By this test we can distinguish the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.
7 Wapendwa, tupendane, kwa kuwa pendo latoka kwa Mungu. Kila apendaye amezaliwa na Mungu, naye anamjua Mungu.
Dear friends, let us love one another; for love has its origin in God, and every one who loves has become a child of God and is beginning to know God.
8 Yeye asiyependa hamjui Mungu, kwa sababu Mungu ni pendo.
He who is destitute of love has never had any knowledge of God; because God is love.
9 Hivi ndivyo Mungu alivyoonyesha pendo lake kwetu: Mungu alimtuma Mwanawe wa pekee ulimwenguni, ili tupate uzima kupitia kwake.
God's love for us has been manifested in that He has sent His only Son into the world so that we may have Life 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 indeed--we did not love God, but He loved us and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Marafiki wapendwa, kama Mungu alivyotupenda sisi, imetupasa na sisi kupendana.
Dear friends, if God has so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 Hakuna mtu yeyote aliyemwona Mungu wakati wowote. Lakini tukipendana, Mungu anakaa ndani yetu, na pendo lake limekamilika ndani yetu.
No one has ever yet seen God. If we love one another, God continues in union with us, and His love in all its perfection is in our hearts.
13 Tunajua kwamba twakaa ndani yake na yeye ndani yetu, kwa sababu ametupa sisi sehemu ya Roho wake.
We can know that we are continuing in union with Him and that He is continuing in union with us, by the fact that He has given us a portion of His Spirit.
14 Nasi tumeona na kushuhudia kwamba Baba amemtuma Mwanawe ili awe Mwokozi wa ulimwengu.
And we have seen and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Kila akiriye kwamba Yesu ni Mwana wa Mungu, basi Mungu hukaa ndani yake, naye ndani ya Mungu.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God--God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with 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.
And, as for us, we know the love which God has for us, and we confide in it. God is love, and he who continues to love continues in union with God, and God continues in union with him.
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.
Our love will be manifested in all its perfection by our having complete confidence on the day of the Judgement; because just what He is, we also are in the 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.
Love has in it no element of fear; but perfect love drives away fear, because fear involves pain, and if a man gives way to fear, there is something imperfect in his love.
19 Twampenda yeye kwa sababu yeye alitupenda kwanza.
We love because God first loved us.
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?
If any one says that he loves God, while he hates his brother man, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother man whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 Naye ametupa amri hii: Yeyote anayempenda Mungu lazima pia ampende ndugu yake.
And the command which we have from Him is that he who loves God must love his brother man also.
