Christ Our Helper
1 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one. 2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him. 4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us. 5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: 6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
The New Command
7 My dear friends, this command I am writing you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard. 8 However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining.
9 If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour. 10 If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is nothing in us that will cause someone else to sin. 11 But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind.
12 I write to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong; the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.
15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. 17 The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.
The Enemy of Christ
18 My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. 19 These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.
20 But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth. 21 I write you, then, not because you do not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know that no lie ever comes from the truth.
22 Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of Christ—they reject both the Father and the Son. 23 For those who reject the Son reject also the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.
24 Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. 25 And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.
26 I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.
28 Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. 29 You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child.
Kristus ombatero yetu
1 Vanatje vandje, ami me mu tjangere omambo nga, kokutja amu ha tjiti ourunde; nungwari ngamwa ngu ma tjiti ourunde, eṱe tu nomuhungirirepo ku Tate. Eye oJesus Kristus, ingwi omusemba. 2 Nu mu Kristus omuini eṱe omu tu isirwa ourunde wetu, nu kawo mbwi ourunde wetu porwe, nungwari wina owo mbwi ourunde wouye auhe.
3 Tji matu kara nonḓuviro komatwako wa Ndjambi, tjiri, matu tjiwa kutja tu mu i. 4 Ingwi ngu ma tja u mu i, nungwari e hi nonḓuviro komatwako we, eye omunavizeze, nu mu ye kamu nouatjiri. 5 Nungwari ingwi ngu ma kara nonḓuviro kembo ra Ndjambi, tjiri, eye u norusuvero rwa Ndjambi okuura mu ye. Nu motjiṋa hi opu matu tjivirwa kutja tu noruwano na Ndjambi. 6 Ingwi ngu ma tja u noruwano na Ndjambi u sokukara nongaro ohamukwao na indji oya Jesus Kristus.
Etwako epe
7 Vakwetu ovasuverwa, ami hi nokumutjangera etwako epe, nungwari oro etwako ekuru ndi mwa kara na ro okuza kombutiro. Etwako ekuru ndi oro ombuze ndji ndji mwa zuva rukuru. 8 Nungwari etwako, ndi me mu tjangere oro epe wina, ouatjiri waro tjinga au munika mu Kristus na mu eṋe wina; orondu onḓorera mai zu po nondjerera yatjiri nambano ai yere.
9 Ingwi ngu ma tja u ri mondjerera nu a tondo omukwao, eye nga mba u ri monḓorera. 10 Nu ingwi ngwa suvera omukwao ma kara mondjerera, nu kape notjiṋa tji matji mu putarisa. 11 Nungwari ingwi ngu ma tondo omukwao eye u ri monḓorera. Eye ma ryanga monḓorera, nu ke nokutjiwa ku ma i, onḓorera tjinga aye mu poṱuparisa.
12 Ami me tjanga ku eṋe, vanatje vandje, ourunde weṋu tjinga amwa isirwa mena ra Kristus. 13 Nu me tjanga ku eṋe, eṋe imba ooihe, tjinga amamu tjiwa ingwi ngwa kara ko okuza kombutiro. Me tjanga ku eṋe, vazandu omitanda, tjinga amwa toṋa ingwi Omunauvi.
14 Ami me tjanga ku eṋe, vanatje vandje, tjinga amamu tjiwa Tate. Nu me tjanga ku eṋe, eṋe imba ooihe, tjinga amamu tjiwa ingwi ngwa kara ko okuza kombutiro. Me tjanga ku eṋe, vazandu omitanda, tjinga amu nomasa; embo ra Ndjambi ra tura mu eṋe, neṋe mwa toṋa ingwi Omunauvi.
15 Amu suvere ko ouye noviṋa avihe vyouye. Tji mwa suvere ouye, okutja kamuya suvera Tate. 16 Oviṋa avihe vyouye, okutja imbi omundu omunauvi mbye zera, na imbi ovandu mbi ve muna nu mbi ve vanga, na imbi avihe mouye mbwi ovandu mbi ve rihivira, kape na nangarire tjimwe tji tji za ku Tate; avihe vi za mouye. 17 Ouye na imbi avihe mbi ri mu wo, ovandu mbi ve zera, vi yanda; nungwari ingwi ngu ma tjiti ombango ya Ndjambi, eye ma karerere nga aruhe.
Omunavita na Kristus
18 Vanatje vandje, indji oiri osenina. Eṋe mwa raerwa kutja Omunavita na Kristus meya; nu nambano ovanavita na Kristus ovengi ve ya, nopu matu tjivirwa kutja indji ondji ri oiri osenina. 19 Ovandu mba, tjiri, kava ri oworuwano na eṱe, nopu va zokutuesa; andakuzu owo va ri oworuwano na eṱe, atjave kara pamwe na eṱe. Nungwari owo va ya, okutja pe munike ongahukiro kutja kape na nangarire umwe wawo, tjiri, ngu ri oworuwano na eṱe.
20 Nungwari eṋe mwa twirisiwa nOmbepo Ondjapuke i Kristus, nu amuhe opu mamu zu okutjiwa ouatjiri. 21 Ami hi nokutjangera eṋe motjimbe tjokutja ouatjiri kamu u i, nungwari omotjimbe tjokutja mamu tjiwa nawa, nu wina eṋe mamu tjiwa kutja ovizeze kavi zu mouatjiri.
22 Nu ingwi omunavizeze owaṋi? Eye ngwi auhe ngu tja Jesus kangu ri Omutwirisiwa. Eye omunavita na Kristus, nu u nyengwa Ihe nOmuna aveyevari. 23 Orondu ingwi ngu ma nyengwa Omuna, eye wina ma nyengwa Ihe; nu ngu ma yakura Omuna, eye wina ma yakura Ihe.
24 Neṋe imbi mbi mwa zuva okuza kombutiro vi ṱakamiseye momitima vyeṋu. Nu tji mwe vi ṱakamisa nawa, eṋe aruhe mamu kara noruwano nOmuna na Ihe. 25 Nu ihi Kristus omuini tje tu kwizikira okutupa otjo hi: Omuinyo waaruhe.
26 Nomambo nga ami mbe ye tjangera eṋe ohunga naimba mbe vanga okumupukisa. 27 Neṋe Kristus we mu twirisa nOmbepo ye. NOmbepo ye ndji ngunda ai ri mu eṋe, kamu nokuhepa omundu ngu me mu hongo. Orondu Ombepo ye i mu honga oviṋa avihe, nu imbi mbi i honga ovyo ouatjiri kavizeze. Ṱakamiseye omahongero wOmbepo, nu mu kare noruwano na Kristus.
28 Ii, vanatje vandje, kareye noruwano na ye, kokutja eye tje rimunikisa eṱe tu kare nokuhinemuma natu he rihoreke ku ye mohoṋi mEyuva ndi eye ndi meya. 29 Eṋe mamu tjiwa kutja Kristus omusemba; notji mamu sokutjiwa kutja auhe ngu ma tjiti ousemba eye omuatje wa Ndjambi.
