1 Johani 3
1 Tarirai kuti rudo rwakadini Baba rwavakatipa, kuti tinzi vana vaMwari. Nekuda kwaizvozvi nyika haitizivi, nokuti haina kumuziva iye.
[Think about] how much our [heavenly] Father loves us! He allows us to (say that we are/be called) his children! [And it is indeed true that] we are [his children. But people in] the world [MTY] [who are unbelievers] have not understood [who] God [is]. So they do not understand [who we are], that we [belong to God].
2 Vadikanwi, ikozvino tiri vana vaMwari, uye zvichigere kuratidzwa kuti tichazovei. Asi tinoziva kuti kana achizoratidzwa, tichafanana naye; nokuti tichamuona sezvaakaita.
Dear friends, even though (at present/now) we are God’s children, [he] has not yet (made clear/revealed) [to us] what we will be like [in the future]. However, we know that when [Christ] comes back again, we will be like him, because we will see what he is [really] like.
3 Uye umwe neumwe ane tariro iyi maari anozvichenesa, sezvaakachena iye.
[So], all those who confidently expect [to see Christ as he actually is/what Christ is like when he returns] must keep themselves pure in every way, just like Christ, who is pure in every way.
4 Umwe neumwe anoita chivi anoitawo kusava nemurairo; uye chivi ndiko kusava nemurairo.
But everyone who continues sinning is refusing to obey [God’s] laws, because that is what sin is, refusing to obey [God’s] laws.
5 Uye munoziva kuti iye wakaratidzwa kuti abvise zvivi zvedu; uye zvivi hazvimo maari.
You know that Christ came in order to completely remove [the guilt of] our sins. You know also that he never sinned.
6 Ani nani anogara maari haatadzi; ani nani anotadza haana kumuona, kana kumuziva.
Those who continue [doing what] Christ wants them to, do not continue sinning repeatedly. But those who repeatedly sin have not understood [who Christ is], nor have they had a close relationship with him.
7 Vana vadiki, kusava neanokunyengerai; uyo anoita kururama wakarurama, saiye akarurama;
[So I urge you, ] who are all very dear to me, do not let anyone deceive you [by telling you that it is all right to sin]. If you continue doing what is right, you are righteous, just like Christ is righteous.
8 uyo anoita chivi anobva kuna dhiabhorosi, nokuti dhiabhorosi anotadza kubva pakutanga. Nechikonzero ichi Mwanakomana waMwari wakaratidzwa kuti aparadze mabasa adhiabhorosi.
[But] if anyone continues sinning, he is like the devil, because the devil has always been sinning. [And] the reason why God’s Son became a human being was to destroy what the devil has done.
9 Ani nani wakaberekwa naMwari haaiti chivi, nokuti mbeu yake inogara maari; zvino haagoni kutadza, nokuti wakaberekwa naMwari.
People do not continue sinning repeatedly if they have become children of God. Instead, [they] continue [to conduct their lives according to the character/nature that God produced in them] [MET]. They cannot continually sin because God has caused them to become his children.
10 Mune izvozvi vana vaMwari nevana vadhiabhorosi vanoratidzwa; ani nani asingaiti zvakarurama haabvi kuna Mwari, neasingadi hama yake.
Those who are God’s children are clearly different from those who are (the devil’s/Satan’s) children. [The way that we can know who are Satan’s children is this]: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children. [Specifically], those who do not love their fellow believers are not [God’s children Instead, they are Satan’s children].
11 Nokuti iri ndiro shoko ramakanzwa kubva pakutanga, kuti tidanane;
The message that you heard when you first [MTY] [believed in Christ] is that we should love each other.
12 kwete saKaini wakabva kune wakaipa, ndokuuraya munin'ina wake. Zvino wakamuurayirei? Nokuti mabasa ake akange akaipa, asi emunin'ina wake akange akarurama.
[We should] not [hate others] as did [Adam’s son], Cain, who belonged to [Satan], the evil one. [Because Cain hated his younger brother], he murdered him. (I will tell you about why he murdered his brother./Do you know why he murdered his brother [RHQ]?) It was because Cain habitually conducted his life in an evil way, and [he hated his younger brother] because his [younger] brother [conducted his life] righteously.
13 Musashamisika, hama dzangu, kana nyika ichikuvengai.
You should not be amazed/surprised, my fellow believers, when [unbelievers] [MTY] hate you.
14 Isu tinoziva kuti takapfuura murufu tikapinda muupenyu, nokuti tinoda hama. Asingadi hama anogara murufu.
We know that we have been changed from [being spiritually] dead [MET] to [being spiritually] alive. We know this because we love our fellow believers. [Those who] do not love [their fellow believers] are still [spiritually] [MET] dead.
15 Ani nani anovenga hama yake imhondi; uye munoziva kuti hakutongorina mhondi ine upenyu husingaperi hunogara mairi. (aiōnios g166)
Those who hate [any of] their fellow believers, [God considers] [MET] them [to be] murderers. And you know that no murderer has eternal life. (aiōnios g166)
16 Neizvi tinoziva rudo rwaMwari, nokuti iye wakatiradzikira pasi upenyu hwake; nesu tinofanira kuradzikira pasi hama upenyu.
The way that we now know [how to truly] love [our fellow believers is by remembering] that Christ (voluntarily died/gave his life) for us. So, [when our fellow believers need something, we should be willing to help them. We should even be willing to] die for them.
17 Asi ani nani ane nhumbi dzenyika, uye achiona hama yake ichishaiwa, ndokumupfigira tsitsi dzake, rudo rwaMwari rwunogara sei maari?
Many [of us] have the things that are necessary for us to live in this world. If we become aware that any of our fellow believers do not have what they need and [if we] refuse to ([provide for them/give to them what they need]), it is clear that we do not love God [as we claim/say that we do].
18 Vana vangu vadiki, ngatirege kuda pashoko kana parurimi, asi pazviito nepachokwadi.
[I say to] all of you whom I love dearly, let us not merely say [MTY] that [we love our fellow believers!] Let us genuinely/really love them by doing things [to help them]!
19 Uye neizvi tinoziva kuti tiri vechokwadi, uye tichavimbisa moyo yedu pamberi pake.
When we [truly love our fellow believers], we can be sure that we are [conducting our lives according to] the true message. [As a result], we will not feel guilty/ashamed [when we talk] [MTY] to God.
20 Nokuti kana moyo wedu uchitipa mhosva, Mwari mukuru kumoyo wedu, uye anoziva zvinhu zvese.
[We can pray confidently], because [although] we might feel guilty/ashamed [about our sins], God is (greater/more worthy to be trusted) than what we feel. He knows everything [about us].
21 Vadikanwi, kana moyo wedu usingatipi mhosva, tine chivimbo pamberi paMwari;
Dear friends, when we do not feel guilty [because of our sins], we can pray to God confidently.
22 uye chipi nechipi chatinokumbira, tinogamuchira kubva kwaari, nokuti tinochengeta mirairo yake, uye tinoita zvinhu zvinofadza pamberi pake.
And, when we confidently pray to him and request [something from him], we receive it because we do what he commands [us to do], and because we do what pleases him.
23 Uye uyu ndiwo murairo wake, kuti titende kuzita reMwanakomana wake Jesu Kristu, uye tidanane, sezvaakatipa murairo.
[I will tell you] what he commands [us to do]: [We must] believe that Jesus Christ is (his Son/the one who is also God). [We must] also love each other, just like he commanded [us to do].
24 Uye uyo anochengeta mirairo yake anogara maari, naiye maari. Neizviwo tinoziva kuti anogara matiri, kubva paMweya waakatipa.
Those who do what God commands are ones who have a close relationship with God, and God has a close relationship with them. [I will tell you how] we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us: It is because [we have] his Spirit, whom he gave to us, that we can be sure that God has a close relationship with us.
