1 John 4
1 Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Bazalwane abathandekayo, lingaze labakholwa omoya bonke, kodwa bahloleni omoya ukuba libone bangabe bevela kuNkulunkulu na ngoba abaphrofethi bamanga abanengi sebekhona emhlabeni.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
Lingamazi kanje uMoya kaNkulunkulu: Umoya wonke ovumayo ukuthi uJesu Khristu weza esenyameni uvela kuNkulunkulu,
3 and every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God; and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.
kodwa wonke umoya ongamvumiyo uJesu kawuveli kuNkulunkulu. Lowo ngumoya womphikuKhristu, elezwa ukuthi uyeza njalo osukhona khathesi emhlabeni.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.
Lina, bantwana abathandekayo, lingabakaNkulunkulu njalo selibanqobile ngoba lowo okini mkhulu kulalowo osemhlabeni.
5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak of the world, and the world hears them.
Bona bangabasemhlabeni, ngakho bakhuluma ngokwengqondo yasemhlabeni njalo umhlaba uyabalalela.
6 We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
Thina singabakaNkulunkulu njalo lowo omaziyo uNkulunkulu uyasilalela, kodwa lowo ongasuye kaNkulunkulu kasilaleli. Simbona ngalokhu uMoya weqiniso lomoya wamanga.
7 Beloved, let’s love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Bangane abathandekayo kasithandaneni, ngoba uthando luvela kuNkulunkulu. Umuntu wonke othandayo uzelwe ngoNkulunkulu njalo uyamazi uNkulunkulu.
8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
Lowo ongathandiyo kamazi uNkulunkulu, ngoba uNkulunkulu uluthando.
9 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him.
UNkulunkulu walubonakalisa kanje uthando lwakhe kithi: Wathumela emhlabeni iNdodana yakhe eyiyo yodwa ukuba siphile ngayo.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Lolu luthando: kungayisikuthi sasimthanda uNkulunkulu kodwa ukuthi yena wasithanda wathumela iNdodana yakhe njengomhlatshelo wenhlawulo yezono zethu.
11 Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.
Bangane abathandekayo, njengoba uNkulunkulu wasithanda kangaka, lathi kumele sithandane.
12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.
Kakho owake wabona uNkulunkulu; kodwa nxa sithandana, uNkulunkulu uhlala kithi lothando lwakhe luyapheleliswa kithi.
13 By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
Sikwazi ngalokhu ukuthi sihlala kuye laye uhlala kithi ngoba usinike okukaMoya wakhe.
14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.
Sibonile njalo siyafakaza ukuthi uBaba uyithumele iNdodana yakhe ukuba ibe nguMsindisi womhlaba.
15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God.
Nxa umuntu evuma ukuthi uJesu uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uhlala kuye laye kuNkulunkulu.
16 We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
Ngakho siyazi njalo sithembe uthando uNkulunkulu alalo kithi. UNkulunkulu uluthando. Ohlala ethandweni, uhlala kuNkulunkulu, loNkulunkulu kuye.
17 In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world.
Uthando luyapheleliswa kithi ukuze sibe lesibindi ngosuku lokwahlulelwa, ngoba kulumhlaba lathi sinjengaye.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.
Ethandweni akulakwesaba. Uthando olupheleleyo luyaxotsha ukwesaba, ngoba ukwesaba kukhumbuza isijeziso. Umuntu owesabayo kapheleliswa ethandweni.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Siyathanda ngoba yena wasithanda kuqala.
20 If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Nxa umuntu esithi, “Mina ngiyamthanda uNkulunkulu,” kodwa ezonda umfowabo, ulamanga. Ngoba umuntu ongamthandiyo umfowabo ambonayo, angeke amthande uNkulunkulu angakaze ambone.
21 This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.
Njalo wasinika umlayo lo: Lowo othanda uNkulunkulu kumele athande lomfowabo.
