English 
Italiano The Third Epistle of John, contained in the pages of the New Testament, is a missive that spreads a clear universal message. Usually attributed to the apostle John, this letter is one of the shortest in the Bible. It emphasizes hospitality, truth and goodness, echoing values deeply rooted in all three Abrahamic faiths.
Christians will find in this epistle an inspiring model of leadership and stewardship in the figure of Gaius, to whom the letter is addressed. The Third Epistle of John emphasizes the importance of generously supporting the work of the Gospel (the Good News, the New Message spread by the Messiah) and provides guidance on how to deal with disputes within the community of believers, imparting lessons that are integral to life and community.
Although not part of the Jewish canon, Jewish readers can still find resonances with the emphasis on righteous action, hospitality and always pursuing the truth, values deeply woven into the fabric of Jewish tradition and law. The praise of individuals for their faithfulness to what they know as truth can be echoed in the steadfastness observed in Jewish faith and practice.
For Muslims, although the New Testament is not part of the Islamic scriptural tradition, the moral principles embodied in the Third Epistle of John find a parallel in Islamic teachings. The concepts of hospitality, defense of truth and opposition to wrongdoing align closely with the core values of Islam, drawing a clear line of shared moral understanding.
Structure
I. Introduction and Salutation (3 John 1:1-4)
A. John’s greeting to Gaius, his dear friend in faith (1:1-2)
B. John’s joy at Gaius’s faithfulness to the truth (1:3-4)
II. Commendation and Encouragement (3 John 1:5-8)
A. Commendation of Gaius for his love and hospitality to the believers (1:5-6)
B. Encouragement to continue supporting those who work for the truth (1:7-8)
III. Critique and Warning (3 John 1:9-11)
A. Criticism of Diotrephes for his pride and maltreatment of believers (1:9-10)
B. Exhortation to imitate good, not evil (1:11)
IV. Commendation of Demetrius (3 John 1:12)
A. Affirmation of Demetrius’s good testimony by all, including the truth itself (1:12)
V. Conclusion and Anticipation of a Future Visit (3 John 1:13-14)
A. John’s intention to speak with Gaius in person, rather than continue with the letter (1:13)
B. Final greetings and peace wishes (1:14)
3rd Letter to John Audiobook
3rd Letter to John Full Text
Chapter 1
| Original Language | Transliteration | English | Italiano |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ὁ πρεσβύτερος Γαΐῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ ὃν ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ | 1. o presbuteros gaiō tō agapētō, on egō agapō en alētheia, | 1. The elder,To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. | 1. L’anziano al carissimo Gaio, che io amo nella verità. |
| 2. Ἀγαπητέ περὶ πάντων εὔχομαί σε εὐοδοῦσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν καθὼς εὐοδοῦταί σου ἡ ψυχή | 2. agapēte, peri pantōn euchomai se euodousthai kai ugiainein, kathōs euodoutai sou ē psuchē. | 2. 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. | 2. Carissimo, io prego che in ogni cosa tu prosperi e goda buona salute, come prospera l’anima tua. |
| 3. ἐχάρην γὰρ λίαν ἐρχομένων ἀδελφῶν καὶ μαρτυρούντων σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καθὼς σὺ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ περιπατεῖς | 3. echarēn gar lian erchomenōn adelphōn kai marturountōn sou tē alētheia, kathōs su en alētheia peripateis. | 3. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. | 3. Mi sono rallegrato molto quando sono venuti alcuni fratelli che hanno reso testimonianza della verità che è in te, del modo in cui tu cammini nella verità. |
| 4. μειζοτέραν τούτων οὐκ ἔχω χαράν ἵνα ἀκούω τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ περιπατοῦντα | 4. meizoteran toutōn ouk echō charin, ina akouō ta ema tekna en tē alētheia peripatounta. | 4. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. | 4. Non ho gioia più grande di questa: sapere che i miei figli camminano nella verità. |
| 5. Ἀγαπητέ πιστὸν ποιεῖς ὃ ἐὰν ἐργάσῃ εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοῦτο ξένους | 5. agapēte, piston poieis o ean ergasē eis tous adelphous kai touto xenous, | 5. Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you. | 5. Carissimo, tu agisci fedelmente in tutto ciò che fai in favore dei fratelli, per di più stranieri. |
| 6. οἳ ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας οὓς καλῶς ποιήσεις προπέμψας ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ | 6. oi emarturēsan sou tē agapē enōpion ekklēsias, ous kalōs poiēseis propempsas axiōs tou theou· | 6. They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way in a manner that honors God. | 6. Questi hanno reso testimonianza del tuo amore davanti alla chiesa; e farai bene a provvedere al loro viaggio in modo degno di Dio, |
| 7. ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ Ὀνόματος ἐξῆλθον* μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνικῶν | 7. uper gar tou onomatos exēlthon mēden lambanontes apo tōn ethnikōn. | 7. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. | 7. perché sono partiti per amore del nome di Cristo, senza prendere niente dai pagani. |
| 8. ἡμεῖς οὖν ὀφείλομεν ὑπολαμβάνειν τοὺς τοιούτους ἵνα συνεργοὶ γινώμεθα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ | 8. ēmeis oun opheilomen upolambanein tous toioutous, ina sunergoi ginōmetha tē alētheia. | 8. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. | 8. Noi dobbiamo perciò accogliere tali persone, per collaborare in favore della verità. |
| 9. Ἔγραψά τι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀλλ’ ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρεφὴς οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς | 9. egrapsa ti tē ekklēsia· all o philoprōteuōn autōn diotrephēs ouk epidechetai ēmas. | 9. I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not welcome us. | 9. Ho scritto qualcosa alla chiesa; ma Diotrefe, che aspira ad avere il primato tra di loro, non ci riceve. |
| 10. διὰ τοῦτο ἐὰν ἔλθω ὑπομνήσω αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖ λόγοις πονηροῖς φλυαρῶν ἡμᾶς καὶ μὴ ἀρκούμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐπιδέχεται τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους κωλύει καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει | 10. dia touto ean elthō, upomnēsō autou ta erga a poiei logois ponērois phluarōn ēmas, kai mē arkoumenos epi toutois oute autos epidechetai tous adelphous kai tous boulomenous kōluei kai ek tēs ekklēsias ekballei. | 10. So when I come, 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. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. | 10. Perciò, se vengo, io ricorderò le opere che fa, sparlando contro di noi con parole maligne; e non contento di questo, non solo non riceve egli stesso i fratelli, ma a quelli che vorrebbero riceverli impedisce di farlo, e li caccia fuori dalla chiesa. |
| 11. Ἀγαπητέ μὴ μιμοῦ τὸ κακὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν ὁ ἀγαθοποιῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ κακοποιῶν οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν Θεόν | 11. agapēte, mē mimou to kakon alla to agathon. o agathopoiōn ek tou theou estin· o kakopoiōn ouch eōraken ton theon. | 11. Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. | 11. Carissimo, non imitare il male, ma il bene. Chi fa il bene è da Dio; chi fa il male non ha visto Dio. |
| 12. Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὸ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ οἶδας ὅτι ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστιν | 12. dēmētriō memarturētai upo pantōn kai upo autēs tēs alētheias· kai ēmeis de marturoumen, kai oidas oti ē marturia ēmōn alēthēs estin. | 12. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone–and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true. | 12. A Demetrio è stata resa testimonianza da tutti e dalla stessa verità; e anche noi gli rendiamo testimonianza e tu sai che la nostra testimonianza è vera. |
| 13. Πολλὰ εἶχον γράψαι σοι ἀλλ’ οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράφειν | 13. polla eichon grapsai soi all ou thelō dia melanos kai kalamou soi graphein· | 13. I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. | 13. Avrei molte cose da scriverti, ma non voglio farlo con inchiostro e penna, |
| 14. ἐλπίζω δὲ εὐθέως σε ἰδεῖν καὶ στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλήσομεν Εἰρήνη σοι Ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ φίλοι Ἀσπάζου τοὺς φίλους κατ’ ὄνομα | 14. elpizō de eutheōs se idein, kai stoma pros stoma lalēsomen. eirēnē soi. aspazontai se oi philoi. aspazou tous philous kat onoma. | 14. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face. | 14. poiché spero di vederti presto, e allora parleremo a voce. |