Greeting

^1 (A)The elder to the beloved Gaius, ^(B)whom I love in truth.

¹⁸ Little children, let us not ^(A)love in word or talk but in deed and ^(B)in truth.

¹⁴ I thank God that I baptized none of you except ^(A)Crispus and ^(B)Gaius,

^23 (A)Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.^[a]

Greeting

^1 (A)The elder to the elect lady and her children, ^(B)whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who ^(C)know ^(D)the truth, ^2 (E)because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

^3 (F)Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.

Walking in Truth and Love

^4 (G)I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. ⁵ And now I ask you, dear lady—^(H)not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—^(I)that we love one another. ⁶ And ^(J)this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just ^(K)as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For ^(L)many deceivers ^(M)have gone out into the world, ^(N)those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, ^(O)so that you may not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but ^(P)may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, ^(Q)does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching ^(R)has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, ^(S)do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him ^(T)takes part in his wicked works.

Final Greetings

^12 (U)Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. ^(V)Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, ^(W)so that our joy may be complete.

¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you.

⁴ Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, ^(A)Aristarchus and Secundus; and ^(B)Gaius of Derbe, and ^(C)Timothy; and the Asians, ^(D)Tychicus and ^(E)Trophimus.

²⁹ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and ^(A)Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's ^(B)companions in travel.