3 John

¹The elder,^a

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

²Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. ³It gave me great joy when some believers^b came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.^{c 4}I have no greater joy than to hear that my children^d are walking in the truth.^e

⁵Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,^af even though they are strangers to you.^{g 6}They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way^h in a manner that honorsⁱ God. ⁷It was for the sake of the Name^j that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.^{k 8}We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. ¹⁰So when I come,^l 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.^m He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.ⁿ

¹¹Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.^o Anyone who does what is good is from God.^p Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.^{q 12}Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone^r—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.^s

¹³I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.^t

Peace to you.^u The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.^v