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Gaius, my good friend, I da older leada fo da church guys hea, an I writing to you. I get plenny love an aloha fo you, fo real kine.

My friend, I stay aks God fo make everyting stay good fo you, an yoa body stay good too, jalike yoa spirit stay good. Wen da bruddas wen come tell me dat you stay stick wit da trut, an you still stay doing da true kine tings, all dat wen make me stay real good inside. Dis da ting dat make me stay good inside to da max: wen I hear dat my kids stay doing da true kine tings.

Gaius Do Good Stuff

My good friend, everytime you do stuff fo help da bruddas an sistas, dat show everybody can trus you fo do wat God like. No matta you neva know dem befo, you wen help um. Da bruddas an sistas dat wen go yoa place, dey wen tell da church peopo dat come togedda ova hea dat you get plenny love an aloha. Help dem wit wateva dey need, da way God like you fo do. Dey wen go by you guys fo teach bout Christ cuz dey his guys, an dey neva let da peopo dat donno God help dem. Dass why we gotta take in dat kine peopo an help dem, so we can work togedda wit dem fo wass true.

One Bad Guy An One Good Guy

I wen write one letta to da church peopo dat come togedda ova dea, but da guy Diotrefes like be da boss, an he no like listen to me an my friends. 10 So if I come dea, I goin rememba wat he wen do. He talk stupid an bad kine bout us. An dass not nuff fo him. He no take in da bruddas an sistas wen dey come dea. He no let da local guys take um in, an he throw dem local guys outa da church.

11 My friend, no make like da peopo dat do bad kine stuff, but make like da peopo dat do good kine stuff. Da peopo dat do good kine stuff come from God. Da peopo dat do bad kine stuff donno God fo real kine.

12 Everybody talk good bout Demetrius. Everybody dat know da trut know, dat Demetrius everytime do um. Us guys talk good bout him too, an you guys know dat wat we say stay true.

Da Last Aloha

13 I get plenny stuff fo tell you, but I no like write um down yet. 14 I like see you pretty soon, an den we talk togedda.

I like yoa heart stay rest inside. All yoa friends ova hea say “Aloha.” Tell every friend ova dea “Aloha.”

The elder,(A)

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers(B) came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.(C) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children(D) are walking in the truth.(E)

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,[a](F) even though they are strangers to you.(G) They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way(H) in a manner that honors(I) God. It was for the sake of the Name(J) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.(K) We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. 10 So when I come,(L) I will call attention to what he is doing, spreading malicious nonsense about us. Not satisfied with that, he even refuses to welcome other believers.(M) He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.(N)

11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.(O) Anyone who does what is good is from God.(P) Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.(Q) 12 Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone(R)—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.(S)

13 I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. 14 I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.(T)

15 Peace to you.(U) The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.(V)

Footnotes

  1. 3 John 1:5 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.