THAT which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld and our hands felt, concerning the Word of life,??2 and the life was made manifest, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us,??3 that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you, that your joy may be complete.

And this is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you, That God is light, and with him there is no darkness.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and observe not the truth;

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, these things I write to you that you may not sin. But if any one has sinned, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,

And by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments.

He that says, I have known him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

but whoever keeps his word, in him truly is the love of God perfected. By this we know that we are in him.

He that says he continues in him, ought also himself so to walk as he walked.

He that says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness till now.

He that loves his brother continues in the light, and there is no offense in him;

but he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and knows not where he goes, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I write to you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I wrote to you, little children, because you have known the Father.

I wrote to you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God continues in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

for all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passes away, and its desires; but he that does the will of God continues for ever.

Little children, it is the last time; and as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many have become anti-christs; whence we know that it is the last time.

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

Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the anti-christ, [the man that] denies the Father and the Son.

No one that denies the Son has the Father; he that confesses the Son has the Father also.

Let that which you heard from the beginning continue in you. If that which you heard from the beginning continues in you, you also shall continue in the Son and in the Father.

And the anointing which you received from him continues in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; but as his anointing teaches you of all things, and is true and is not a lie, even as it has taught you, continue in him.

And now, little children, continue in him, that when he shall appear we may have boldness, and not be put to shame by him at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous, you know that every one who does righteousness has been born of him.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. The world therefore knows us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be. We know, that if he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

And every one that has this hope in him purifies himself, as he is pure.

Every one that commits sin commits also wickedness, and sin is wickedness.

And we know that he was manifested to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

No one that continues in him sins; no one that sins has seen him, or known him.

Little children, let no one deceive you. He that does righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous;

he that commits sin is of the devil, for the devil sinned from the beginning. For this was the Son of God manifested, to destroy the works of the devil.

No one that has been born of God commits sin, for his seed continues in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

By this are the children of God manifest, and the children of the devil; no one that does not righteousness is of God, and no one that loves not his brother.

For this is the message which you heard from the beginning; that we should love one another;

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers; he that loves not, continues in death.

Every one that hates his brother is a murderer; and we know that no murderer has eternal life continuing in him.

And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him;

And this is his commandment; that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave commandment.

And he that keeps his commandments continues in him and he in him; and by this we know that he continues in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

By this you know the Spirit of God; every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,

and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of anti-christ, of which you have heard that he is coming, and he is now in the world already.

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

We are of God; he that knows God hears us, he that is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and every one that loves has been born of God and knows God.

He that loves not has not known God; for God is love.

The love of God was manifested to us in this; that God has sent his only Son into the world that we may live through him.

In this is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son a propitiation for our sins.

By this we know that we continue in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son, the Saviour of the world.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God continues in him and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love which God has for us. God is love; and he that continues in love continues in God and God in him.

By this is love perfected with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, that as he is we also are in this world.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has pain; and he that is afraid is not made perfect in love.

If any one says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

And we have this commandment from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and every one who loves the Father loves also the Son who is born to him.

By 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 keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous;

for every child that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory which overcomes the world, our faith.

Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus, the Christ; not by water only, but by water and by blood; and the Spirit is that which testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

For there are three that testify; the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and the three are one.

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son.

He that believes on the Son of God has the testimony in himself; he that believes not God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony which God has testified concerning his Son.

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that has the Son has the life; he that has not the Son has not the life.

These things have I written to you, that you who believe in the name of the Son of God may know that you have eternal life.

And this is the confidence which we have in respect to him, that if we ask any thing according to his will he hears us.

And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

If any one sees his brother commit a sin, not to death, he shall ask, and he will give him life, for those who sin not to death. There is a sin to death; I say not that you should pray for it.

We know that every one who has been born of God does not sin, but he that has been born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.

And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding that we may know the true One; and we are in the true One, in his Son Jesus Christ; this is the true God, and eternal life.