That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life

(for the life was manifested, and we have beheld it, and bear testimony, and declare unto you that life eternal, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;)

that which we have seen and heard we declare to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

And we write these things, that our joy may be fulfilled.

This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not tell the truth.

But, if we live in the light [of righteousness] just like God [constantly] lives in the light [of righteousness], we can truly share a relationship with one another and [can know that] the blood of Jesus, God's Son, continues to cleanse [our spirits] from all of our sins.

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

If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil.

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

My little children, I write these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

And he it is that obtaineth grace for our sins; and not for our sins only, but also for the sins of all the world.

This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments.

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and in him the truth is not.

But whoever keeps his word, God's love has truly been perfected in him. This is how we know that we are in him:

He who saith that he abideth in him, ought as he walked, even so himself to walk.

Dear friends, it is no new command that I am writing you, but an old one that you have had from the beginning. That old command is the same as the message you have heard.

Yet it is a new command that I am writing you; it is newly realized in him and in yourselves, for the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

He who saith, that he is in the light, yet hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

He that loveth his brother is in the light, and occasion of stumbling in him there is none.

But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he is departing, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Babes, I write unto you how that your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

I write unto you fathers, how that ye have known him that was from the beginning. I write unto you young men, how that ye be strong; and the word of God dwelleth in you, that ye have overcome the wicked.

Do not love the world, neither the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not the Father's, but is the world's.

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

Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.

They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have continued with us. But they left, that they might be revealed that none of them belong to us.

I have not written to you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

Every one that denieth the Son, neither doth he hold the Father; but he that acknowledgeth the Son, holdeth the Father also.

As for you, let that remain in you which you heard from the beginning. If that which you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son, and in the Father.

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead you astray.

But the unction which ye have received from him abideth in you; and ye need not that any person should instruct you. But as the same unction teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie; and as it hath taught you, abide in him.

Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of him.

Behold, how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world does not know us, because it did not know him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet revealed what we will be. We know that, when he is revealed, we will be like him; for we will see him just as he is.

And every one that hath this hope'set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Every one that doeth sin doeth also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.

You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him is no sin.

All that abide in him, sin not: And all that sin hath not seen him, neither hath known him.

My little children, let no man lead you astray: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous:

he that practises sin is of the devil; for from the beginning the devil sinneth. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

All that are born of God do no sin, for his seed abideth in them, and they cannot sin, because they be born of God.

By this the children of God are manifestly seen, and the children of the devil. Every one that doth not practise righteousness, is not of God, and he that loveth not his brother.

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

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

Do not be surprised, believers, if the world hates you.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. He who does not love remains in death.

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

We know what love means from the fact that he laid down his life for us; so we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

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?

And by this we will know that we are of the truth, and persuade our heart before him,

because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

My loved ones, if our heart does not say that we have done wrong, we have no fear before him;

and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight.

This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded us.

He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us.

Loved ones, do not believe [the message of] every spirit [i.e., every person claiming to be a teacher], but test the spirits [i.e., require proof that they and their message are genuine] to see whether they represent God [or not], because many false prophets have begun circulating throughout the world.

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

and every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is that of the antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already.

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

They are children of the world; that is why they speak as the world directs, and the world listens to them.

We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of delusion.

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, never knew God; for God is love.

By this God's love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Loved ones, if God loved us that much, we should also love one another.

No one has seen God at any time. But if we love one another [with unselfish concern], God abides in us, and His love [the love that is His essence abides in us and] is completed and perfected in us.

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

We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.

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

And we have known and believed the love which God hath towards us. God is love; and he that abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him.

In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.

Fear is not in this love; but the perfect love casteth out fear: for fear hath anguish. He that is afraid is not made perfect in love.

He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved 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.

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

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and do his commandments.

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

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

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

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.

And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the truth.

For there are three that bear record: the spirit, and water, and blood: and these three are one.

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

He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.

The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son, hath this life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not this life.

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

This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

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

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should make a request concerning this.

Any wrongdoing is sin, but there are sins that are not deadly.

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.