2 John

Chapter 1

¹ {From John,} the elder. {I am writing this letter} to you, the congregation God has chosen. I love all of you believers because the message {about the Messiah} is true. Not only do I myself love you, but all those who know the true message {that Jesus taught} also love you. ² {We love you} because of God’s true message. The true message remains in our inner beings and will be with us forever. ³ God the Father and Jesus the Messiah, the Father’s Son, will act kindly and mercifully toward us and will make us peaceful. {They will do this because} they are truthful and love {us}.

⁴ I am very happy because I have learned that some of the believers from your congregation are living according to the true message {that God has taught us}. This is just what our Father commanded us to do.

⁵ And now, dear congregation, I ask you that we should love each other. I am not writing you a new thing that God has commanded {us to do}. Instead, we have known this command to love each other from when we first believed in the Messiah. ⁶ This is what it means to love {God and each other}. We should obey what God commands us to do. This is what God commands you so that you will obey it. You have heard this from when you first believed in the Messiah.

⁷ Many people who deceive others have {left your congregation and have now} gone out among other people {in your area}. They {are the ones who} refuse to say that Jesus the Messiah came to the earth and was a man. They {are the ones who} deceive others and oppose the Messiah himself. ⁸ Be careful so that you do not {let those teachers deceive you}! {If you let them deceive you, you will} lose the reward that we have worked for. {Be careful} so that you receive the complete reward! ⁹ Those who change what they believe and do not continue to teach what the Messiah taught do not have a true relationship with God. But those who continue to believe what the Messiah taught have a true relationship both with God, our Father, and with Jesus, his Son. ¹⁰ So when anyone comes to you who teaches something different from what the Messiah taught, do not welcome him into your homes! Do not even greet him {or wish him well in any way, so that you do not encourage him}. ¹¹ If you greet these people respectfully, you are helping them do the evil things they do.

¹² I have much more that I want to write you. But I have decided not to write it in this letter. Instead, I hope to be with you soon and talk with you personally. Then we will be completely joyful together. ¹³ Your fellow believers in the congregation here, whom God has also chosen, greet you.