Chronological

¹ The church leader writes to the chosen lady and to her children. I love you because of the truth. I am not the only one who loves you. All who know the truth love you. ² It is because the truth is in us and will be with us forever. ³ Loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace are ours as we live in truth and love. These come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of the Father.

⁴ I am happy to find some of your children living in the truth as the Father has said we should. ⁵ And now I ask you, lady, that we have love one for the other. I am not writing to you about a new Law but an old one we have had from the beginning. ⁶ Love means that we should live by obeying His Word. From the beginning He has said in His Word that our hearts should be full of love.

⁷ There are many false teachers in the world. They do not say that Jesus Christ came in a human body. Such a person does not tell the truth. He is the false-christ. ⁸ Watch yourselves! You do not want to lose what we have worked for. You want to get what has been promised to you.

⁹ Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If a person comes to you with some other kind of teaching, do not take him into your home. Do not even greet him. ¹¹ The person who does has a share in his sins.

¹² I have many things to write to you. I do not want to write them in this letter. But I hope to come to you soon. Then we can talk about these things together that your joy may be full. ¹³ The children of your chosen sister greet you.

¹ The church leader writes to the much-loved Gaius. I love you because of the truth. ² Dear friend, I pray that you are doing well in every way. I pray that your body is strong and well even as your soul is. ³ I was very happy when some Christians came and told me about how you are following the truth. ⁴ I can have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.

⁵ Dear friend, you are doing a good work by being kind to the Christians, and for sure, to the strangers. ⁶ They have told the church about your love. It will be good for you to help them on their way as God would have you. ⁷ These people are working for the Lord. They are taking nothing from the people who do not know God. ⁸ So we should help such people. That way we will be working with them as they teach the truth.

⁹ I wrote a letter to the church. But Diotrephes wants to be the leader and put himself first. He will have nothing to do with us. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will show what he is doing by the bad things he is saying about us. Not only that, he will not take the Christian brothers into his home. He keeps others from doing it also. When they do, he puts them out of the church. ¹¹ Dear friend, do not follow what is sinful, but follow what is good. The person who does what is good belongs to God. The person who does what is sinful has not seen God. ¹² Everyone speaks good things about Demetrius. The truth itself speaks for him. We say the same thing also and you know we are speaking the truth. ¹³ I have much to write about but I do not want to write it in this letter. ¹⁴ I hope to see you soon and then we can talk together. May you have peace. The friends here greet you. Greet each friend there by name.