< 1 Yohana 3 >
1 Oneni ni pendo la namna gani ametupatia Baba, kwamba tunaitwa watoto wa Mungu, na hivi ndivyo tulivyo. Kwa sababu hii ulimwengu haututambui kwa kuwa haukumtambua yeye.
Look at the amazing kind of love the Father has for us! This is why we can be called God's children—for that's who we are! The reason why the people of this world don't recognize us as God's children is because they don't recognize him.
2 Wapendwa sisi sasa ni watoto wa Mungu, na haijadhihirika bado jinsi tutakavyokuwa. Twajua kwamba Kristo atakapoonekana, tutafanana naye, kwani tutamuona kama alivyo.
My friends, we are already God's children; however what we shall become hasn't been revealed just yet. But we do know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.
3 Na kila mmoja ambaye ana ujasiri huu kuhusu wakati ujao ulioelekezwa kwake, hujitakasa mwenyewe kama yeye alivyo mtakatifu.
All those who have this hope in them make sure they are pure, just as he is pure.
4 Kila mtu anayeendelea kutenda dhambi huvunja sheria. Kwa sababu dhambi ni uvunjaji sheria.
All those who sin are lawless, because sin is lawlessness.
5 Mnajua Kristo alidhihilishwa ili kuziondoa dhambi kabisa. Na ndani yake hamna dhambi.
But of course you know that Jesus came to take away sins, and that there is no sin in him.
6 Hakuna hata mmoja adumue ndani yake na kuendelea kutenda dhambi. Hakuna mtu hata mmoja adumuye katika dhambi ikiwa amemuona au kumfahamu yeye.
All those who live in him don't go on sinning; all those who keep on sinning haven't seen him and haven't known him.
7 Watoto wapendwa, msikubali kupotoshwa na mtu yeyote. Atendaye haki ni mwenye haki, kama vile Kristo naye alivyo mwenye haki.
Dear friends, don't let anyone fool you: those who do what is right are right, in the same way as Jesus is right.
8 Atendaye dhambi ni wa ibilisi, kwa sababu ibilisi ni mtenda dhambi tangu mwanzo. Kwa sababu hii Mwana wa Mungu alidhihilishwa ili aweze kuziharibu kazi za ibilisi.
Those who sin are of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. That's the reason why the Son of God came—to destroy what the devil has done.
9 Yeyote aliyezaliwa na Mungu hatendi dhambi, kwa sababu mbegu ya Mungu hukaa ndani yake. Hawezi kuendelea kutenda dhambi kwa sababu amezaliwa na Mungu.
All those who are born of God don't keep on sinning, for God's nature lives in them. They can't keep on sinning because they are born of God.
10 Katika hili watoto wa Mungu na watoto wa ibilisi wanafahamika. Yeyote asiyetenda kilicho cha haki, siyo wa Mungu, wala yule ambaye hawezi kumpenda ndugu yake.
This is how God's children and the devil's children can be distinguished: all those who don't do what's right don't belong to God, nor do those who don't love their fellow Christians.
11 Kwani huu ndio ujumbe mliousikia kutoka mwanzo, kwamba tunapaswa kupendana sisi kwa sisi,
The message you've heard from the beginning is simply this: we should love one another.
12 siyo kama Kaini ambaye alikuwa wa mwovu na alimuua ndugu yake. Na kwa nini alimuua? Kwa sababu matendo yake yalikuwa maovu, na yale ya ndugu yake yalikuwa ya haki.
We cannot be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one, and murdered his brother. Why did he murder him? Because Cain did what was evil, while his brother did what was right.
13 Ndugu zangu, msishangae, endapo ulimwengu utawachukia.
So don't be surprised, my friends, if this world hates you!
14 Twajua tumekwisha toka mautini na kuingia uzimani, kwa sababu tunawapenda ndugu. Yeyote ambaye hana upendo hudumu katika mauti.
The reason we know that we have changed from death to life is because we love our Christian brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn't love remains dead.
15 Mtu yeyote anaye mchukia ndugu yake ni muuaji. Na mnajua kuwa uzima wa milele haukai ndani ya muuaji. (aiōnios )
All those who hate their Christian brothers and sisters are murderers, and you know that no murderers have eternal life within them! (aiōnios )
16 Katika hili tunalijua pendo, kwa sababu kristo aliutoa uhai wake kwa ajili yetu. Nasi yatupasa kuyatoa maisha yetu kwa ajili ya ndugu.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.
17 Lakini yeyote aliye na vitu, na anamuona ndugu yake mwenye uhitaji, lakini huuzuia moyo wake wa huruma kwa ajili yake; je, upendo wa Mungu unakaaje ndani yake?
If one of you is living well in this world and you see your Christian brother or sister in need, but you don't show compassion—how can God's love be living in you?
18 Watoto wangu wapenzi, tusipende kwa midomo wala kwa maneno matupu bali katika vitendo na kweli.
Dear friends, let's not just say we love with words, but show our love in what we do and how we demonstrate the truth.
19 Katika hili tunajua kwamba sisi tuko katika kweli, na mioyo yetu inathibitika katika yeye.
This is how we will know that we belong to the truth, and how we will set our minds at rest before God
20 Ikiwa kama mioyo yetu yatuhukumu, Mungu ni mkuu kuliko mioyo yetu, na yeye hujua mambo yote.
whenever we think we're in the wrong. God is greater than how we think, and he knows everything.
21 Wapenzi, kama mioyo yetu haituhukumu, tunao ujasiri kwa Mungu.
Dear friends, if we're reassured we're not in the wrong, we can have confidence before God.
22 Na chochote tuombacho tutakipokea kutoka kwake, kwa sababu tunazishika amri zake na tunafanya mambo yanayopendeza mbele zake.
We'll receive from him whatever we ask him for, because we follow his commands and do what pleases him.
23 Na hii ndiyo amri yake- ya kwamba yatupasa kuamini katika jina la Mwanaye Yesu Kristo na kupendana sisi kwa sisi-kama alivyotupatia amri yake.
This is what he commands: we should trust in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us to do.
24 Anayezitii amri zake hudumu ndani yake, na Mungu hukaa ndani yake. Na kwa sababu hii twajua kuwa hukaa ndani yetu, Kwa yule Roho aliyetupa.
Those who keep his commands continue to live in him, and he lives in them. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit he has given us.