2 John
New Matthew Bible
He writes to a certain lady, rejoices that her children walk in the truth, exhorts them unto love, warns them to beware of such deceivers as deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, and prays them to continue in the doctrine of Christ, and to have nothing to do with those who do not bring this teaching.
1 The elder to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth – and not only I, but also all who know the truth, 2 for the sake of the truth that dwells in us and shall be in us forever.
3 With you be grace, 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 some of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. 5 And now I beseech you, dear lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that same which we had from the beginning: that we should love one another. 6 And this is the love: that we should walk according to his commandments.
For this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning: walk in him. 7 For many deceivers have entered into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not that which we have wrought, but that we may have a full reward. 9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who endures in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. 11 For he who bids him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds.
12 I had many things to write to you. Nevertheless, I would rather not write with paper and ink, but I trust to come to you and speak with you mouth to mouth, so that our joy may be full.
13 The sons of your elect sister
greet you.
Amen.
2 John
EasyEnglish Bible
John says ‘Hello’ to a special lady
1 This letter comes from me, the leader of the believers. I am writing to you, a special lady that God has chosen, and to your children. I love all of you, because you have believed God's true message. And I am not the only one who loves you. Everyone who knows the true message about God really loves you. 2 I love you because we have all come to understand what is true. It will remain with us for ever.[a]
3 God our Father, and his Son Jesus Christ will help us. He will be kind to us and he will give us peace in our minds. This will happen because God loves us and because we believe his true message.
4 I was very happy to hear about some of your children. I am happy because they are living in a good way. They are obeying the true message about God. They are doing what God our Father has told us to do.
Do not believe false teachers
5 So now, dear lady, I want you to do something. I want all of us to love one another. I am not telling you a new command to obey. This is a command that we have had from the beginning. 6 How do we show real love? We show it when we live in a way that makes God happy. We obey his commands. He tells us to love one another, and that is how you should live. You have heard that command from the beginning.
7 I say this because many false teachers are travelling around everywhere. They do not agree that Jesus Christ was born as a human baby. People like that are telling lies. They are enemies of Christ. 8 So be careful! Do not believe their lies. Do not lose the good things that we have worked for. Make sure that you receive all the good things that God has promised to give you. 9 Remember the message which Christ taught. Anyone who teaches his own ideas instead of Christ's true message does not belong to God. Continue to believe what Christ taught. Anyone who does that belongs to God the Father and to his Son, Jesus. 10 Someone may come to you and teach you something that is different. Do not receive that person into your house. Do not receive him as a Christian. 11 If you receive people like that as Christian people, you are making yourself the same as them. You also are doing the same kind of bad work.
12 I want to tell you many more things, but I do not want to write about them in a letter. Instead, I hope to come and visit you. Then I can see you and we can talk together. Then we will be completely happy.
13 The believers here say ‘hello’ to you. They are the children of your sister that God has chosen.[b]
Footnotes
- 1:2 When John wrote this letter to ‘a special lady’, he may have been writing it to a group of believers. Or he may have been writing it to someone who had a home where the believers met.
- 1:13 John talks about the group of believers who are with him as the sister of the lady that he is writing the letter to. The words ‘lady’ (in verse 1) and ‘sister’ (in verse 13) probably mean the groups of believers in two places.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.
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