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2 John
King James Version
2 John
King James Version
1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;
2 For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.
3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.
9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.
13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.
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2 John
New International Version
2 John
New International Version
1 The elder,(A)
To the lady chosen by God(B) and to her children, whom I love in the truth(C)—and not I only, but also all who know the truth(D)— 2 because of the truth,(E) which lives in us(F) and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ,(G) the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth,(H) just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning.(I) I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love:(J) that we walk in obedience to his commands.(K) As you have heard from the beginning,(L) his command is that you walk in love.
7 I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ(M) as coming in the flesh,(N) have gone out into the world.(O) Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.(P) 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we[a] have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.(Q) 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ(R) does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.(S) 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them.(T) 11 Anyone who welcomes them shares(U) in their wicked work.
12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face,(V) so that our joy may be complete.(W)
13 The children of your sister, who is chosen by God,(X) send their greetings.
Footnotes
- 2 John 1:8 Some manuscripts you
2 John
Amplified Bible
2 John
Amplified Bible
Walk According to His Commandments
1 The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) [a]lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who know and understand the truth— 2 because of the truth which lives in our hearts and will be with us forever: 3 Grace, mercy, and peace (inner calm, a sense of spiritual well-being) will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love.
4 I was greatly delighted to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father. 5 Now I ask you, lady, not as if I were writing to you a new commandment, but [simply reminding you of] the one which we have had from the beginning, that we [b]love and unselfishly seek the best for one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in accordance with His commandments and are guided continually by His precepts. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should [always] walk in love.
7 For many deceivers [heretics, posing as Christians] have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge and confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (bodily form). This [person, the kind who does this] is the deceiver and the [c]antichrist [that is, the antagonist of Christ]. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you do not lose what we have accomplished together, but that you may receive a full and perfect reward [when He grants rewards to faithful believers]. 9 Anyone who runs on ahead and does not remain in the doctrine of Christ [that is, one who is not content with what He taught], does not have God; but the one who continues to remain in the teaching [of Christ does have God], he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching [but diminishes or adds to the doctrine of Christ], do not receive or welcome him into your house, and do not give him a greeting or any encouragement; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting [who encourages him or wishes him success, unwittingly] participates in his evil deeds. 12 I have many things to write to you, but I prefer not to do so with paper (papyrus) and black (ink); but I hope to come to you and speak with you [d]face to face, so that [e]your joy may be complete.(A)
13 The children of your elect (chosen) sister greet you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 John 1:1 Many scholars believe the words “lady and her children” refer to a specific woman and her family; some others view the words “lady and her children” as the personification of a church and its members.
- 2 John 1:5 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
- 2 John 1:7 John is not referring to the Antichrist of Revelation, but is using the term generally of anyone who is opposed to the cause of Christ.
- 2 John 1:12 Lit mouth to mouth.
- 2 John 1:12 One early ms reads our.
2 John
The Message
2 John
The Message
1-2 My dear congregation, I, your pastor, love you in very truth. And I’m not alone—everyone who knows the Truth that has taken up permanent residence in us loves you.
3 Let grace, mercy, and peace be with us in truth and love from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, Son of the Father!
4-6 I can’t tell you how happy I am to learn that many members of your congregation are diligent in living out the Truth, exactly as commanded by the Father. But permit me a reminder, friends, and this is not a new commandment but simply a repetition of our original and basic charter: that we love each other. Love means following his commandments, and his unifying commandment is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard, and nothing has changed.
Don’t Walk Out on God
7 There are a lot of smooth-talking con artists loose in the world who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ was truly human, a flesh-and-blood human being. Give them their true title: Deceiver! Antichrist!
8-9 And be very careful around them so you don’t lose out on what we’ve worked so diligently in together; I want you to get every reward you have coming to you. Anyone who gets so progressive in his thinking that he walks out on the teaching of Christ, walks out on God. But whoever stays with the teaching, stays faithful to both the Father and the Son.
10-11 If anyone shows up who doesn’t hold to this teaching, don’t invite him in and give him the run of the place. That would just give him a platform to perpetuate his evil ways, making you his partner.
12-13 I have a lot more things to tell you, but I’d rather not use paper and ink. I hope to be there soon in person and have a heart-to-heart talk. That will be far more satisfying to both you and me. Everyone here in your sister congregation sends greetings.
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2 John
GOD’S WORD Translation
2 John
GOD’S WORD Translation
Greeting
1 From the church leader.[a]
To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love because we share the truth. I’m not the only one who loves you. Everyone who knows the truth also loves you. 2 We love you because of the truth which lives in us and will be with us forever.
3 Good will,[b] mercy, and peace will be with us. They come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, who in truth and love is the Father’s Son.
Living in the Truth
4 I was very happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has commanded us. 5 Dear lady, I’m now requesting that we continue to love each other. It’s not as though I’m writing to give you a new commandment. Rather, from the beginning we were commanded to love each other. 6 Love means that we live by doing what he commands. We were commanded to live in love, and you have heard this from the beginning.
Reject Teachers Who Don’t Teach What Christ Taught
7 Many people who deceive others have gone into the world. They refuse to declare that Jesus Christ came in flesh and blood. This is the mark of a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Be careful that you don’t destroy what we’ve worked for, but that you receive your full reward.
9 Everyone who doesn’t continue to teach what Christ taught doesn’t have God. The person who continues to teach what Christ taught has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and doesn’t bring these teachings, don’t take him into your home or even greet him. 11 Whoever greets him shares the evil things he’s doing.
Farewell
12 I have a lot to write to you. I would prefer not to write a letter. Instead, I hope to visit and talk things over with you personally. Then we will be completely filled with joy.
13 The children of your chosen sister greet you.
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New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Amplified Bible (AMP) 
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.