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Salutation

¹ The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

Gaius Commended for His Hospitality

² Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. ³ I was overjoyed when some of the friends^[a] arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely how you walk in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

⁵ Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends,^[b] even though they are strangers to you; ⁶ they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; ⁷ for they began their journey for the sake of Christ,^[c] accepting no support from non-believers.^{[d] 8} Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth.

Diotrephes and Demetrius

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 call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends,^[e] and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.

¹¹ Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. ¹² Everyone has testified favorably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him,^[f] and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

¹³ I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; ¹⁴ instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face.

¹⁵ Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.