2 John
Christian Standard Bible
Greeting
1 The elder:
To the elect(A) lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not only I, but also all who know the truth(B)— 2 because of the truth that remains in us(C) and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace(D) will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son(E) of the Father, in truth and love.(F)
Truth and Deception
4 I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth,(G) in keeping with a command we have received from the Father. 5 So now I ask you, dear lady—not as if I were writing you a new command, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.(H) 6 This is love:(I) that we walk according to his commands.(J) This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: that you walk in love.[a]
7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.(K) This is the deceiver and the antichrist.(L) 8 Watch yourselves so that you don’t lose what we[b] have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.(M) 9 Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching(N) but goes beyond it does not have God.(O) The one who remains(P) in that teaching, this one has both the Father(Q) and the Son.(R) 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive(S) him into your home, and do not greet him; 11 for the one who greets him shares(T) in his evil works.(U)
Farewell
12 Though I have many things to write to you,(V) I don’t want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face so that our joy(W) may be complete.
13 The children of your elect sister send you greetings.
2 John
New King James Version
Greeting the Elect Lady
1 The Elder,
To the [a]elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known (A)the truth, 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 (B)Grace, mercy, and peace will be with [b]you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
Walk in Christ’s Commandments
4 I (C)rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: (D)that we love one another. 6 (E)This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that (F)as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.
Beware of Antichrist Deceivers
7 For (G)many deceivers have gone out into the world (H)who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. (I)This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 (J)Look to yourselves, (K)that [c]we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.
9 (L)Whoever [d]transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and (M)does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.
John’s Farewell Greeting
12 (N)Having many things to write to you, I did not wish to do so with paper and ink; but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, (O)that our joy may be full.
13 (P)The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.
Footnotes
- 2 John 1:1 chosen
- 2 John 1:3 NU, M us
- 2 John 1:8 NU you
- 2 John 1:9 NU goes ahead
2 John
New Living Translation
Greetings
1 This letter is from John, the elder.[a]
I am writing to the chosen lady and to her children,[b] whom I love in the truth—as does everyone else who knows the truth— 2 because the truth lives in us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ—the Son of the Father—will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.
Live in the Truth
4 How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.
5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends,[c] that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
7 I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came[d] in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we[e] have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. 9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. 11 Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.
Conclusion
12 I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.
13 Greetings from the children of your sister,[f] chosen by God.
2 John
Contemporary English Version
1 From the church leader.[a]
To a very special woman and her children.[b] I truly love all of you, and so does everyone else who knows the truth. 2 We love you because the truth is now in our hearts, and it will be there forever.
3 I pray that God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son will be kind and merciful to us! May they give us peace and truth and love.
Truth and Love
4 I was very glad to learn that some of your children are obeying the truth, as the Father told us to do. 5 (A) Dear friend, I am not writing to tell you and your children to do something you have not done before. I am writing to tell you to love each other, which is the first thing you were told to do. 6 Love means we do what God tells us. And from the beginning, he told you to love him.
7 Many liars have gone out into the world. These deceitful liars are saying Jesus Christ did not have a truly human body. But they are liars and the enemies of Christ. 8 So be sure not to lose what we[c] have worked for. If you do, you won't be given your full reward. 9 Don't keep changing what you were taught about Christ, or else God will no longer be with you. But if you hold firmly to what you were taught, both the Father and the Son will be with you. 10 (B) If people won't agree to this teaching, don't welcome them into your home or even greet them. 11 Greeting them is the same as taking part in their evil deeds.
Final Greetings
12 I have much more to tell you, but I don't want to write it with pen and ink. I want to come and talk to you in person, because this will make us[d] really happy.
13 Greetings from the children of your very special sister.[e]
Footnotes
- 1 church leader: Or “elder” or “presbyter.”
- 1 very special woman and her children: A group of the Lord's followers who met together for worship. “The children of your … sister” (see verse 13) is another group of followers. “Very special” (here and verse 13) probably means “chosen (by the Lord).”
- 8 we: Some manuscripts have “you.”
- 12 us: Some manuscripts have “you.”
- 13 sister: See the note at verse 1.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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