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Caring for the Lord’s Workers

Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. For they are traveling for the Lord,[a] and they accept nothing from people who are not believers.[b] So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.

I wrote to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be the leader, refuses to have anything to do with us. 10 When I come, I will report some of the things he is doing and the evil accusations he is making against us. Not only does he refuse to welcome the traveling teachers, he also tells others not to help them. And when they do help, he puts them out of the church.

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Footnotes

  1. 7a Greek They went out on behalf of the Name.
  2. 7b Greek from Gentiles.

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

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come,(G) 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.(H) He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.(I)

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Footnotes

  1. 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.