3 John 1:5-15

Support and Opposition

5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for ¹these brothers, ²strangers 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 ³worthy of God.

7 For they have gone out for the sake of ⁴the name, ⁵accepting nothing from the Gentiles.

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, ⁶do not imitate evil but imitate good. ⁷Whoever does good is from God; ⁸whoever does evil has not seen God.

12 Demetrius ⁹has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself. We also add our testimony, and ¹⁰you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

13 ¹¹I had much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink.

14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

15 Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends, ¹²every one of them.

Cross References

• 1. [Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 13:1]
• 2. See Matthew 25:35
• 3. 1 Thessalonians 2:12; [Colossians 1:10]
• 4. See Acts 5:41
• 5. 1 Corinthians 9:12, 15
• 6. [Psalms 34:14; Psalms 37:27; Isaiah 1:16, 17]
• 7. 1 John 2:29
• 8. See 1 John 3:6
• 9. [1 Timothy 3:7]
• 10. John 21:24
• 11. 2 John 12
• 12. John 10:3