1 John 2
1 My children, I am writing to you to keep you from sinning. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the righteous.
Watoto wangu, ninawaandikieni mambo haya, kusudi msitende dhambi. Lakini, ikijatokea mtu akatenda dhambi, tunaye mmoja ambaye hutuombea kwa Baba, ndiye Yesu Kristo aliye mwadilifu kabisa.
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but the sins of the whole world.
Kristo ndiye sadaka iondoayo dhambi zetu; wala si dhambi zetu sisi tu, bali pia dhambi za ulimwengu wote.
3 It is by keeping God’s commands that we can be sure we know him.
Tukizitii amri za Mungu, basi, tunaweza kuwa na hakika kwamba tunamjua.
4 Whoever says ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commands, is a liar. The truth has no place in them.
Mtu akisema kwamba anamjua, lakini hazitii amri zake, basi mtu huyo ni mwongo, na ukweli haumo ndani yake.
5 But the person who keeps God’s word, in them the love of God has indeed reached its perfection. This is how we can be sure we are in him:
Lakini mtu yeyote anayeshika neno la Mungu, huyo ndiye aliye na upendo kamili wa Mungu ndani yake. Hivi ndivyo tunavyoweza kuwa na hakika kwamba tunaungana naye:
6 whoever claims to live in him should live just as Jesus did.
mtu yeyote anayesema kwamba ameungana na Mungu, anapaswa kuishi kama alivyoishi Yesu Kristo.
7 Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing to you, but an old command, which you have had from the beginning. That old command is the message you have already heard.
Wapenzi wangu, amri hii ninayowaandikieni si amri mpya; ni amri ileile ya zamani mliyokuwa nayo tangu mwanzo. Amri hiyo ya zamani ni ule ujumbe mliousikia.
8 Yet, in a way, it is a new command that I am writing to you – which is shown true in Christ’s life and in yours – for the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Hata hivyo, amri hii ninayowaandikieni ni amri mpya, na ukweli wake unaonekana ndani ya Kristo na ndani yenu pia. Maana giza linatoweka, na mwanga wa ukweli umekwisha anza kuangaza.
9 The person who says that they are in the light, and yet hates others, is still in the darkness.
Yeyote asemaye kwamba yumo katika mwanga, lakini anamchukia ndugu yake, mtu huyo bado yumo gizani.
10 The person who loves others is always in the light, and there is nothing within them to cause them to stumble.
Yeyote ampendaye ndugu yake, yuko katika mwanga, na hamna chochote ndani yake kiwezacho kumkwaza mtu mwingine.
11 The person who hates is in the dark. They stumble along in the darkness; they do not know where they are going because the darkness blinds them.
Lakini anayemchukia ndugu yake, yumo gizani; anatembea gizani, na hajui anakokwenda, maana giza limempofusha.
12 Little children, I am writing to you because your sins have been forgiven for Christ’s sake.
Ninawaandikieni ninyi watoto, kwa kuwa dhambi zenu zimeondolewa kwa jina la Kristo.
13 Parents, I am writing to you because you have come to know him who has been from the beginning. Young people, I am writing to you because you have conquered the evil one. Children, I write to you because you have come to know the Father.
Nawaandikieni ninyi kina baba kwani mnamjua yeye ambaye amekuwako tangu mwanzo, Nawaandikieni ninyi vijana kwa sababu mmemshinda yule Mwovu.
14 Parents, I write to you because you have learned to know him who has been from the beginning. Young people, I write to you because you are strong, and God’s message is always in your hearts, and you have conquered the evil one.
Nawaandikieni ninyi watoto, kwa sababu mnamjua Baba. Nawaandikieni ninyi kina baba, kwa kuwa mnamjua yeye ambaye amekuwako tangu mwanzo. Nawaandikieni ninyi vijana kwa sababu mna nguvu; neno la Mungu limo ndani yenu na mmemshinda yule Mwovu.
15 Do not love the world or what the world can offer. When anyone loves the world, there is no love for the Father in them.
Msiupende ulimwengu, wala chochote kilicho cha ulimwengu. Mtu anayeupenda ulimwengu, upendo wa Baba hauwezi kuwamo ndani yake.
16 For all that the world can offer – the desires for physical pleasure, the enticements to the eye, the arrogance of wealth – belongs, not to the Father, but to the world.
Vitu vyote vya ulimwengu-tamaa mbaya za mwili, vitu wanavyoviona watu na kuvitamani, majivuno yasababishwayo na mali-vyote hivyo havitoki kwa Baba, bali vyatoka kwa ulimwengu.
17 And the world, and all that it gratifies, is passing away, but they who do God’s will remain for ever. (aiōn g165)
Ulimwengu pamoja na vitu vyake vyote vyenye kutamanika unapita; lakini mtu atendaye atakalo Mungu, anaishi milele. (aiōn g165)
18 My children, it is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist was coming; and many antichrists have already arisen. This is why we know that this is the last hour.
Watoto, mwisho u karibu! Mlikwisha sikia kwamba adui wa Kristo anakuja, na sasa adui wengi wa Kristo wamekwisha fika, na hivyo twajua kwamba mwisho u karibu.
19 These people come from our ranks, but they were never truly part of us – if they had been then they would have stayed with us. They left so it would be clear that none of them really belonged to us.
Watu hao wametokea kati yetu lakini hawakuwa kweli wa kwetu na ndiyo maana walituacha; Kama wangalikuwa wa kwetu, wangalibaki nasi. Lakini waliondoka, wakaenda zao, kusudi ionekane wazi kwamba hawakuwa kamwe wa kwetu.
20 You, however, have been annointed by the Holy One. You all know the truth.
Ninyi, lakini, mlipata kumiminiwa Roho Mtakatifu na Kristo, na hivyo mnaujua ukweli.
21 I am not writing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie can come from the truth.
Basi, nawaandikieni, si kwa kuwa hamuujui ukweli, bali kwa sababu mnaujua; na pia mnajua kwamba uongo wowote haupatikani katika ukweli.
22 Who is a liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? That person is the antichrist – one who rejects the Father and the Son.
Mwongo ni nani? Ni yule anayekana kwamba Yesu ni Masiha. Mtu wa namna hiyo ni adui wa Kristo—anamkana Baba na Mwana.
23 No one who rejects the Son has the Father; to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father also.
Maana yeyote anayemkana Mwana, anamkana pia Baba; na yeyote anayemkubali Mwana, anampata Baba pia.
24 As for you, you must let what you have heard from the beginning continue to live in you. If what you heard from the beginning dwells in you, you will remain both in the Son and the Father.
Basi, ujumbe ule mliousikia tangu mwanzo na ukae mioyoni mwenu. Kama ujumbe huo mliousikia tangu mwanzo ukikaa ndani yenu, basi, mtaishi daima katika umoja na Mwana na Baba.
Na ahadi aliyotuahidia sisi ndiyo hii: uzima wa milele. (aiōnios g166)
26 In writing this to you, I have in mind those who are trying to mislead you.
Nimewaandikieni mambo haya kuhusu wale wanaotaka kuwapotosha ninyi.
27 As for you, the anointing which you received from him remains with you. You do not need anyone to teach you. His anointing teaches you about everything. What it teaches you is true, it is not a lie. Do what it has taught you: abide in him.
Lakini, kwa upande wenu ninyi, Kristo aliwamiminieni Roho wake. Na kama akiendelea kukaa ndani yenu, hamhitaji kufundishwa na mtu yeyote. Maana Roho wake anawafundisheni kila kitu na mafundisho yake ni ya kweli, si ya uongo. Basi shikeni mafundisho ya huyo Roho na kubaki katika muungano na Kristo.
28 Yes, my children, remain in him, so that when he appears our confidence doesn’t fail us, and we are not ashamed to meet him at his coming.
Naam, watoto, kaeni ndani yake kusudi wakati atakapotokea tuwe hodari bila kuwa na sababu ya kujificha kwa aibu Siku ya kuja kwake.
29 Since you know he is righteous, you realise that everyone who does what is right is his child.
Mnajua kwamba Kristo ni mwadilifu kabisa; basi, mnapaswa kujua pia kwamba kila mtu atendaye mambo adili ni mtoto wa Mungu.
