3 John
New International Reader's Version
1 I, the elder, am writing this letter.
I am sending it to you, my dear friend Gaius. I love you because of the truth.
2 Dear friend, I know that your spiritual life is going well. I pray that you also may enjoy good health. And I pray that everything else may go well with you. 3 Some believers came to me and told me that you are faithful to the truth. They told me that you continue to live by it. This news gave me great joy. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living by the truth.
5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters. You are faithful even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. Please help them by sending them on their way in a manner that honors God. 7 They started on their journey to serve Jesus Christ. They didn’t receive any help from those who aren’t believers. 8 So we should welcome people like them. We should work together with them for the truth.
9 I wrote to the church. But Diotrephes will not welcome us. He loves to be the first in everything. 10 So when I come, I will point out what he is doing. He is saying evil things that aren’t true about us. Even this doesn’t satisfy him. So he refuses to welcome other believers. He also keeps others from welcoming them. In fact, he throws them out of the church.
11 Dear friend, don’t be like those who do evil. Be like those who do good. Anyone who does what is good belongs to God. Anyone who does what is evil hasn’t really seen or known God. 12 Everyone says good things about Demetrius. He lives in keeping with the truth. We also say good things about him. And you know that what we say is true.
13 I have a lot to write to you. But I don’t want to write with pen and ink. 14 I hope I can see you soon. Then we can talk face to face.
15 May you have peace.
The friends here send their greetings. Greet each one of the friends there.
3 John
Worldwide English (New Testament)
1 From the leader of the church people. I send greetings to my dear Gaius. I love you because you have Christ.
2 My dear brother, I ask God that you may be all right in every way and that your body may be well. I know that your soul is all right.
3 I was very happy when the brothers came and told me that you have been true. They said you are really living the right way.
4 Nothing can make me more happy than to hear that my children are living in the right way. My dear brother, when you help your Christian brothers in any way, even though you do not know them, you show that you do what you say you believe.
5 They have told the people of the church here how you showed your love to them. Please send them on their way as God would have you do.
6 They went out to do Christ's work. And they have not taken any help from people who do not believe in God.
7 So we should help such men with what they need. Then we are doing our part to tell the true message. I wrote a letter to the people of the church. But Diotrephes wants to be the leader. He will not listen to us.
8 So if I come, I will show what he is doing. He is saying wrong things about us. And that is not all. He does not take our brothers into his own home. And he stops other people who want to take them in. He will not let them be church members any longer.
9 My dear brother, do not do the wrong things people do, but do the good things people do. Anyone who does good things belongs to God. Anyone who does wrong things has never seen God.
10 Everyone says Demetrius is a good man. All this is true. We say the same thing too. And you know that what we say is true.
11 I have much to write to you. But I do not want to write to you with pen and ink.
12 I hope to see you very soon. Then we will talk together.
13 May God give you peace. Our friends greet you. Greet everyone of my friends.
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