Hospitality for God’s people

¹ The Elder to beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

² Beloved, I pray that all is going well with you, and that you are every bit as healthy physically as you are spiritually. ³ I was absolutely delighted, you see, when some of the family arrived and bore witness to your truthfulness, since clearly you are walking in the truth. ⁴ Nothing gives me greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵ Beloved, when you are doing all that you do for family members, even when they are strangers, you are doing a faithful work. ⁶ These people have borne witness to your love in the presence of the assembly, and you will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ They went out for the sake of the Name, not accepting help from outsiders. ⁸ We ought to support people like that, so that we may become fellow workers with the truth.

Authority and example

⁹ I have written something to the assembly. But Diotrephes, who wants to be the most important person there, refuses to acknowledge us. ¹⁰ So, then, if I come, I will refer back to what he has done, and the slanderous words he has spoken against us. Not being satisfied with that, he doesn’t welcome family members himself; and, when others want to do so, he forbids them and throws them out of the assembly.

¹¹ Beloved, don’t imitate evil; imitate good! Someone who does good is from God; someone who does evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius has been well attested by everybody, and by the truth itself. We join in this testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

¹³ I have much to write to you, but I don’t want to do it with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I am hoping instead to see you very soon, so that we can talk face to face.

¹⁵ Peace be with you. All the friends greet you. Greet all the friends by name.