约翰一书 3
1
你看父赐给我们是何等的慈爱,使我们得称为神的儿女。我们也真是他的儿女。世人所以不认识我们,是因未曾认识他。

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

2
亲爱的弟兄阿,我们现在是神的儿女,将来如何,还未显明。但我们知道主若显现,我们必要像他。因为必得见他的真体。

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

3
凡向他有这指望的,就洁净自己,像他洁净一样。

Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

4
凡犯罪的,就是违背律法。违背律法就是罪。

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

5
你们知道主曾显现,是要除掉人的罪。在他并没有罪。

But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

6
凡住在他里面的,就不犯罪。凡犯罪的,是未曾看见他,也未曾认识他。

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

7
小子们哪,不要被人诱惑,行义的才是义人。正如主是义的一样。

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

8
犯罪的是属魔鬼,因为魔鬼从起初就犯罪。神的儿子显现出来,为要除灭魔鬼的作为。

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

9
凡从神生的就不犯罪,因神的道(原文作种)存在他心里。他也不能犯罪,因为他是由神生的。

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.

10
从此就显出谁是神的儿女,谁是魔鬼的儿女。凡不行义的,就不属神。不爱弟兄的也是如此。

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

11
我们应当彼此相爱。这就是你们从起初所听见的命令。

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

12
不可像该隐。他是属那恶者,杀了他的兄弟。为什么杀了他呢?因自己的行为是恶的,兄弟的行为是善的。

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.

13
弟兄们,世人若恨你们,不要以为希奇。

Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

14
我们因为爱弟兄,就晓得是已经出死入生了。没有爱心的,仍住在死中。

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

15
凡恨他弟兄的,就是杀人的。你们晓得凡杀人的,没有永生存在他里面。

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

16
主为我们舍命,我们从此就知道何为爱。我们也当为弟兄舍命。

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

17
凡有世上财物的,看见弟兄穷乏,却塞住怜恤的心,爱神的心怎能存在他里面呢?

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

18
小子们哪,我们相爱,不要只在言语和舌头上。总要在行为和诚实上。

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

19
从此就知道我们是属真理的,并且我们的心在神面前可以安稳。

This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

20
我们的心若责备我们,神比我们的心大,一切事没有不知道的。

whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21
亲爱的弟兄阿,我们的心若不责备我们,就可以向神坦然无惧了。

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

22
并且我们一切所求的,就从他得着。因为我们遵守他的命令,行他所喜悦的事。

and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

23
神的命令就是叫我们信他儿子耶稣基督的名,且照他所赐给我们的命令彼此相爱。

And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

24
遵守神命令的,就住在神里面。神也住在他里面。我们所以知道神住在我们里面,是因他所赐给我们的圣灵。

Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.