[I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]—

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

I repeat, it is what we have seen and heard that we now announce to you, so that you too may share this fellowship with us, for this fellowship that we have is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ;

If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

My little children (believers, dear ones), I am writing you these things so that you will not sin and violate God’s law. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [who will intercede for us] with the Father: Jesus Christ the righteous [the upright, the just One, who conforms to the Father’s will in every way—purpose, thought, and action].

and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.

But whoever habitually keeps His word and obeys His precepts [and treasures His message in its entirety], in him the love of God has truly been perfected [it is completed and has reached maturity]. By this we know [for certain] that we are in Him:

Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you: but an old commandment which ye had at the beginning. For an old commandment is the word which ye heard from the beginning.

Again, I give you a new law, which is true in him and in you; for the night is near its end and the true light is even now shining out.

He who says that he is in the light, and has hate in his heart for his brother, is still in the dark.

He who has love for his brother is in the light, and there is no cause of error in him.

But he who has hate for his brother is in the dark, walking in the dark with no knowledge of where he is going, unable to see because of the dark.

I write unto you, my little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

I write to you, fathers, for ye have known him from the beginning. I write to you, young men, for ye have conquered the evil. I write to you, young children, for ye have known the Father.

I wrote to you, fathers, for ye have known him from the beginning. I wrote to you, young men, for ye are strong, and the word of God remains in you, and ye have conquered the evil.

Have no love for the world or for the things which are in the world. If any man has love for the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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 , that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us.

As for you who have receiv'd the unction of the holy spirit, you know the whole affair.

Whoever denies the Son, the same has not the Father; but he who confesses the Son has the Father also. As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you.

As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.

And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and'such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is.

Everyone who is a sinner goes against the law, for sin is going against the law.

You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is [absolutely] no sin [for He has neither the sin nature nor has He committed sin or acts worthy of blame].

he that doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him.

In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.

For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:

Not just as, Cain, was, of the wicked one, and slew his brother! And, for what cause, slew he him? Because, his works, were, wicked, whereas, those of his brother, were, righteous.

Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world has no love for you.

We are conscious that we have come out of death into life because of our love for the brothers. He who has no love is still in death.

Anyone who has hate for his brother is a taker of life, and you may be certain that no taker of life has eternal life in him.

Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

But if a man has this world's goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?

Little children [i.e., dear ones], we should not [merely] claim to love [people], or [even just] talk about it, but [we should love] by what we do [for them] in a genuine way.

for thereby we know that we be of the truth, and so shall we certify our hearts in his sight.

whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands].

Loved ones, if our hearts do not condemn us [i.e., because we are showing love by helping the needy], we can have boldness before God [in prayer for our own needs];

and we obtain from Him whatever we ask for, because we practice obedience to His commands and do what pleases Him.

And this is his law, that we have faith in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love for one another, even as he said to us.

Do not believe every spirit, beloved, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets are gone out into the world.

In this way you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spiritual utterance which owns that Jesus Christ has come in human form comes from God,

Little children, ye are of God, and have overcome them: for greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

They are of the world, and for this reason they speak as of the world, and the world listens to them.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

This is the way God's love for us has been shown, namely, God has sent His only Son into the world that we through Him might have life.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

My loved ones, if God had such love for us, it is right for us to have love for one another.

No man has ever seen God: if we have love for one another, God is in us and his love is made complete in us:

Hereby know we, that we abide in him, and he in us: For he hath given us of his spirit.

And, we, for ourselves have gazed, and are bearing witness - that, the Father, sent forth the Son, as Saviour of the world.

And we have seen and had faith in the love which God has for us. God is love, and everyone who has love is in God, and God is in him.

In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love: true love has no room for fear, because where fear is, there is pain; and he who is not free from fear is not complete in love.

We have the power of loving, because he first had love for us.

If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.

And this is the word which we have from him, that he who has love for God is to have the same love for his brother.

Everyone who has faith that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God: and everyone who has love for the Father has love for his child.

In this way, we are certain that we have love for the children of God, when we have love for God and keep his laws.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith.

For who is there that is victorious over the world except the man who 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 blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit is the truth.

For there are three who bear testimony, the Spirit, and the water,

For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son.

He believing in the Son of God has the testimony in himself: he not believing God has made him a liar; for he has not believed the testimony which God has testified of his Son.

I have put these things in writing for you who have faith in the name of the Son of God, so that you may be certain that you have eternal life.

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask for anything that is in accordance with His will, He will listen to us.

And if we know that He listens to us in whatever we ask Him for, we know that we get from Him the things that we have asked Him for.

If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request.

All evil-doing is sin: but death is not the punishment for every sort of sin.

we know that a true christian will not commit such a sin, for he that is the child of God keeps upon his guard, so that the wicked spirit does not approach him.

Dear children, once for all put yourselves beyond the reach of idols.