¹³ Greet Rufus, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother, who has been a mother to me.

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 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.

The Crucifixion

²¹ A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene,^[a] was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)

Believers Should Stand Firm

¹³ As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first^[a] to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.

⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

²⁷ And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

³⁵ Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

¹⁶ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”