1 John

that which we have seen and have heard we declare to you⁺ also, so that you⁺ also may have fellowship with us. And indeed our fellowship [is] with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And these things we write so that our joy may be full.

And this is the message that we have heard from Him and we announce to you⁺, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness—none.

If we should say that we have fellowship with Him and should walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we should walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

If we should say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we should confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, that He may forgive us [our] sins and may cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we should say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you⁺ so that you⁺ might not sin. And if anyone might sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.

And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for [those] of the whole world.

And by this we know that we have known Him, if we may keep His commandments.

The one saying, “I have known Him,” and not keeping His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever may keep His word, truly in him the love of God has been perfected. In this we know that we are in Him:

Beloved, I am not writing to you⁺ a new commandment, but an old commandment, which you⁺ have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you⁺ heard.

The one claiming to be in the light and hating his brother is in the darkness until now.

The one loving his brother remains in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

But the one hating his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness; and he does not know where he goes, because the darkness blinded his eyes.

I write to you⁺, little children, because the sins have been forgiven you⁺ through His name.

I write to you⁺, fathers because you⁺ have known Him who [is] from the beginning. I write to you⁺, young men, because you⁺ have overcome the evil one. I wrote to you⁺, children, because you⁺ have known the Father.

I wrote to you⁺, fathers, because you⁺ have known Him who [is] from the beginning. I wrote to you⁺, young men, because you⁺ are strong, and the word of God remains in you⁺, and you⁺ have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone should love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,

because all that [is] in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the vaunting of life, is not from the Father but is from the world.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But [it is] so that it might be made manifest that they are not all of us.

And you⁺ have the anointing from the Holy One, and all [of] you⁺ know.

You⁺, let that which you⁺ heard from the beginning remain in you⁺. If that which you⁺ heard from the beginning should remain in you⁺, you⁺ also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

And this is the promise that He promised us: eternal life.

And you⁺, the anointing that you⁺ received from Him remains in you⁺, and you⁺ have no need that anyone should teach you⁺. But as the same anointing teaches you⁺ concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and just as it taught you⁺, remain in Him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God—and we are! Because of this, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be was not yet made manifest. We know that if He should be made manifest, we will be like Him, for we will see Him just as He is.

And everyone having this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Everyone who [is] doing sin also does lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

And you⁺ know that He appeared so that He should take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

Everyone who [is] remaining in Him does not sin; everyone who [is] sinning has not seen Him, nor has he known Him.

Little children, let no one lead you⁺ astray; the one doing righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

The one doing sin is of the devil, because the devil is sinning from the beginning. For this the Son of God was made manifest, so that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Everyone having been born of God does not do sin, because His seed remains in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God.

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: everyone not doing righteousness is not of God, and the one not loving his brother.

For this is the message that you⁺ heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,

not as Cain, [who] was of the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his works were evil, but those of his brother [were] righteous.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love [our] brothers. The one not loving remains in death.

Everyone hating his brother is a murderer; and you⁺ know that any murderer does not have eternal life remaining in him.

In this we have known love, because He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down [our] lives for [our] brothers.

Now whoever may have the goods of the world, and may see his brother having need, and might shut his heart from him, how does the love of God remain in him?

Little children, may we love not in word nor in tongue, but in work and in truth.

And in this we will know that we are of the truth, and we will assure our heart before Him,

that if our heart may condemn [us], that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.

Beloved, if our heart may not condemn [us], we have confidence toward God,

and whatever we may ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and we do the things pleasing before Him.

And the one keeping His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And in this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit whom He gave to us.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

In this you⁺ know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ having come in the flesh is of God,

and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God, and this is that of the antichrist, which you⁺ heard that is coming, and now is already in the world.

You⁺ are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is the One in you⁺ than the one in the world.

They are of the world; because of this they speak from out of the world, and the world hears them.

We are of God. The one knowing God hears us. The one who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The one not loving has not known God, because God is love.

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [as] a propitiation for our sins.

In this we know that we remain in Him and He in us: because from out of His Spirit He has given to us.

And we have known and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one remaining in love remains in God, and God remains in him.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment; and the one fearing has not been perfected in love.

Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone loving the One having begotten also loves the one having been born of Him.

In this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we should keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

For everyone having been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory having overcome the world: our faith.

Now who is the one overcoming the world, except the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God?

For there are three testifying:

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that He has testified concerning His Son.

The one believing in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning His Son.

And this is the testimony: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

The one having the Son has life; the one not having the Son of God does not have life.

I wrote these things to you⁺, the ones believing in the name of the Son of God, so that you⁺ may know that you⁺ have eternal life.

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we may ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we may ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from Him.

If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He will give to him life—to those sinning not unto death. There is a sin unto death; I do not say that he should implore concerning that.

All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

We know that everyone having been born of God does not sin, but the One having been begotten of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

Now we know that the Son of God is come, and He has given to us understanding, so that we may know the One who [is] true; and we are in the One who [is] true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, guard yourselves from idols.