¹From the elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. ²Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health, as your spiritual condition is prospering. ³For I greatly rejoiced when some brothers came and testified to your truthfulness – as to how you walk in truth. ⁴I have no greater joy than these things: to hear that my own children are walking in truth. ⁵Beloved, you are acting faithfully in everything you undertake for the brothers and for the strangers, ⁶who testified to your love in the presence of the church, and you will do well when you have sent them on with supplies, in a way worthy of God. ⁷For they went out for the sake of his name, not taking anything from the Gentiles. ⁸So we should correspondingly receive people like these, so that we become fellow workers for the truth. ⁹I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be at the forefront over them, does not receive us. ¹⁰For this reason, if I come, I will raise the matter of his works which he is doing, as he rants on at us with wicked words. And not being satisfied with that, he does not receive the brothers either, and he prevents those who are willing to do so, and he throws them out of the church. ¹¹Beloved, do not imitate what is bad, but what is good. He who does good is from God. He who does evil has not seen God. ¹²A testimony has been given to Demetrius by all and by the truth itself, and we too testify, and you know that our testimony is true. ¹³I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with ink and pen. ¹⁴But I hope to see you very shortly so we can speak face to face. Peace to you. The friends here greet you. Greet the friends there by name.