אגרתו השלישית של יוחנן השלי

Habrit Hakhadasha/Haderekh

¹לכבוד גיוס היקר והאהוב עלי באמת.

מאת יוחנן הזקן.

²ידידי היקר, אני מאחל לך כל טוב ומקווה שגופך בריא כשם שנפשך בריאה.

³אחים אחדים, שביקרו כאן לאחרונה, סיפרו לי עליך חדשות מאוד משמחות. הם סיפרו לי שאתה נאמן למשיח ולעקרונות הבשורה, ושאתה שומר על טוהר המידות. ⁴חדשות כאלה על ילדי משמחות אותי יותר מכל.

⁵ידידי היקר, בדאגתך למורים ולשליחים שנוסעים ממקום למקום, אתה מוכיח את נאמנותך לאדון. ⁶הם סיפרו לקהילה כאן על אהבתך ומעשיך הנפלאים. אני שמח וגאה בך על אשר שלחת אותם לדרכם בצרוף מתנה נדיבה. ⁷הלא יודע אתה שהם נוסעים ממקום למקום ומבשרים את הבשורה, ולמרות שהטיפו ללא-מאמינים, סרבו לקחת מהם כל מה שהציעו: אוכל, בגדים, שמיכות, כסף וכדומה. ⁸משום כך אנחנו בעצמנו צריכים לדאוג למחסורם, וכך נשתתף בעבודתם למען האדון.

⁹שלחתי לקהילה מכתב בנידון, אבל דיוטריפס רודף הכבוד, שמתיימר להיות ראש הקהילה, לא רצה לקבל אותנו ולהקשיב לדברינו. ¹⁰כאשר אבוא אליכם, אזכיר לו את מעשיו הרעים ואת ההשמצות והשקרים שהוא מעליל עלינו. לא די בכך שהוא עצמו מסרב לארח את המורים והשליחים שנוסעים ממקום למקום, הוא אף ביקש מחברי הקהילה שלא לארחם. בחוצפתו הרבה הוא אף מגרש מהקהילה את כל מי שמעז להמרות את פיו.

¹¹ידידי היקר, אל תיקח דוגמה רעה ממנו. אנא, עשה את הטוב והישר, כי עושי הטוב והישר הם ילדי אלוהים, בעוד שהממשיכים לעשות את הרע מוכיחים שהם רחוקים מאוד מאלוהים. ¹²אולם כולם מדברים טובות על דמטריוס; אפילו האמת עצמה מעידה לטובתו! גם אנחנו מעידים בשבחו, ואתה יודע שעדותנו מהימנה.

¹³יש לי עוד דברים רבים לומר לך, אך אני מעדיף שלא להעלותם על הנייר, ¹⁴כי אני מקווה לפגוש אותך בקרוב, ואז נוכל לשוחח עליהם פנים אל פנים.

¹⁵עד אז, שלום ולהתראות. כל החברים כאן דורשים בשלומך. מסור בבקשה לכל אחד מהאחים דרישת שלום ממני.

3 John

New King James Version

Greeting to Gaius

¹The Elder,

To the beloved Gaius, ^(A)whom I love in truth:

²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ³For I ^(B)rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴I have no greater ^(C)joy than to hear that ^(D)my children walk in ^[a]truth.

Gaius Commended for Generosity

⁵Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren ^[b]and for strangers, ⁶who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, ⁷because they went forth for His name’s sake, ^(E)taking nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸We therefore ought to ^(F)receive^[c] such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. ¹⁰Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, ^(G)prating^[d] against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.

¹¹Beloved, ^(H)do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. ^(I)He who does good is of God, ^[e]but he who does evil has not seen ^(J)God.

¹²Demetrius ^(K)has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also ^[f]bear witness, ^(L)and you know that our testimony is true.

Farewell Greeting

¹³^(M)I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink; ¹⁴but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face.

Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.

Footnotes

3 John 1:4 NU the truth
3 John 1:5 NU and especially for
3 John 1:8 NU support
3 John 1:10 talking nonsense
3 John 1:11 NU, M omit but
3 John 1:12 testify

3 John

New International Version

¹The elder,^(A)

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

²Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ³It gave me great joy when some believers^(B) came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.^(C) ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that my children^(D) are walking in the truth.^(E)

⁵Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,^[a]^(F) even though they are strangers to you.^(G) ⁶They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way^(H) in a manner that honors^(I) God. ⁷It was for the sake of the Name^(J) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.^(K) ⁸We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰So when I come,^(L) I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers.^(M) He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.^(N)

¹¹Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.^(O) Anyone who does what is good is from God.^(P) Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.^(Q) ¹²Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone^(R)—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.^(S)

¹³I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.^(T)

¹⁵Peace to you.^(U) The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.^(V)

Footnotes

3 John 1:5 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.

3 John

English Standard Version

Greeting

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

²Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. ³For ^(C)I rejoiced greatly when the brothers^[a] came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than to hear that ^(D)my children are walking in the truth.

Support and Opposition

⁵Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for ^(E)these brothers, ^(F)strangers as they are, ⁶who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner ^(G)worthy of God. ⁷For they have gone out for the sake of ^(H)the name, ^(I)accepting nothing from the Gentiles. ⁸Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.

⁹I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. ¹⁰So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.

¹¹Beloved, ^(J)do not imitate evil but imitate good. ^(K)Whoever does good is from God; ^(L)whoever does evil has not seen God. ¹²Demetrius ^(M)has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and ^(N)you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

¹³^(O)I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink. ¹⁴I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

¹⁵Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, ^(P)each by name.

Footnotes

3 John 1:3 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10

Habrit Hakhadasha/Haderekh (HHH)

New King James Version (NKJV)

New International Version (NIV)

אגרתו השלישית של יוחנן השלי

Habrit Hakhadasha/Haderekh