Greeting
2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
3
For 3I rejoiced greatly when the brothersa came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth.
Support and Opposition
5
Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for 5these brothers, 6strangers as they are,
6
who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner 7worthy of God.
8
Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
9
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.
10
So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church.
11
Beloved, 10do not imitate evil but imitate good. 11Whoever does good is from God; 12whoever does evil has not seen God.
12
Demetrius 13has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and 14you know that our testimony is true.
Final Greetings
14
I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)