2 John 1:1-11

Greeting

1 ¹The elder to the elect lady and her children, ²whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who ³know ⁴the truth,

2 ⁵because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:

3 ⁶Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.

Walking in Truth and Love

4 ⁷I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father.

5 And now I ask you, dear lady— ⁸not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning— ⁹that we love one another.

6 And ¹⁰this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just ¹¹as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

7 For ¹²many deceivers ¹³have gone out into the world, ¹⁴those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

8 Watch yourselves, ¹⁵so that you may not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but ¹⁶may win a full reward.

9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, ¹⁷does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching ¹⁸has both the Father and the Son.

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, ¹⁹do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting,

11 for whoever greets him ²⁰takes part in his wicked works.

Cross References

• 1. 1:1 3 John 1; [1 Pet. 5:1]
• 2. 1:1 1 John 3:18; 3 John 1
• 3. 1:1 John 8:32; [1 Tim. 2:4; Heb. 10:26]
• 4. 1:1 John 1:17; 14:6; See Gal. 2:5
• 5. 1:2 [1 Cor. 13:6]
• 6. 1:3 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2; [Jude 2]
• 7. 1:4 3 John 3, 4
• 8. 1:5 1 John 2:7
• 9. 1:5 See 1 John 3:11
• 10. 1:6 1 John 5:3; [1 John 2:5]; See John 14:15
• 11. 1:6 1 John 2:24
• 12. 1:7 See 1 John 2:18, 26
• 13. 1:7 1 John 4:1
• 14. 1:7 1 John 2:22; 4:2, 3
• 15. 1:8 [Gal. 3:4; Heb. 10:35]
• 16. 1:8 See 1 Cor. 3:8
• 17. 1:9 See 1 John 2:23
• 18. 1:9 See 1 John 2:23
• 19. 1:10 [Rom. 16:17; Gal. 1:8, 9; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14; Titus 3:10]
• 20. 1:11 [1 Tim. 5:22]

Footnotes

• [a] 8 Some manuscripts 'you'