[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]—

and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]—

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].

It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world's.

he who is saying, 'I have known him,' and his command is not keeping, a liar he is, and in him the truth is not;

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:

He who is saying in him he doth remain, ought according as he walked also himself so to walk.

He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in the darkness until now.

he who is loving his brother, in the light he doth remain, and a stumbling-block in him there is not;

and he who is hating his brother, in the darkness he is, and in the darkness he doth walk, and he hath not known whither he doth go, because the darkness did blind his eyes.

I write unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one. I have written unto you, little children, because ye know the Father.

I have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one.

and the world doth pass away, and the desire of it, and he who is doing the will of God, he doth remain -- to the age.

Children, it is the last hour [the end of this age]; and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming [the one who will oppose Christ and attempt to replace Him], even now many antichrists (false teachers) have appeared, which confirms our belief that it is the last hour.

They have gone out from our own number, but they did not really belong to us; for if they had, they would have stayed with us. It was to show that none of those who went out really belonged to us.

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

I have not written to you, as to people unacquainted with the truth of the gospel: but as to such who know it, and know that it cannot give rise to any imposture.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

Whoever denies the Son has not the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also.

These things have I written to you concerning those who lead you astray:

If ye know that he is righteous, know that every one who practises righteousness is begotten of him.

See what great love the Father has given us in naming us the children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not see who we are, because it did not see who he was.

and every one who is having this hope on him, doth purify himself, even as he is pure.

Every one who is doing the sin, the lawlessness also he doth do, and the sin is the lawlessness,

every one who is remaining in him doth not sin; every one who is sinning, hath not seen him, nor known him.

Little children, let no one lead you astray; he who is doing the righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous,

he who is doing the sin, of the devil he is, because from the beginning the devil doth sin; for this was the Son of God manifested, that he may break up the works of the devil;

every one who hath been begotten of God, sin he doth not, because his seed in him doth remain, and he is not able to sin, because of God he hath been begotten.

In this are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil. Whoever does not practise righteousness is not of God, and he who does not love his brother.

for this is the injunction which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another: not as Cain who was of the evil one, and slew his brother;

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.

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

Every one who is hating his brother -- a man-killer he is, and ye have known that no man-killer hath life age-during in him remaining,

By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.

But he who hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

But, if our hearts condemn us [for not demonstrating God's love for others], surely God, who is greater than our hearts [will also condemn us], because He knows all things.

and he who is keeping His commands, in Him he doth remain, and He in him; and in this we know that He doth remain in us, from the Spirit that He gave us.

This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

But every spirit who does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist; you have heard that he is coming, and he is already in the world now.

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

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

Beloved, may we love one another, because the love is of God, and every one who is loving, of God he hath been begotten, and doth know God;

he who is not loving did not know God, because God is love.

and what heightens his love, was this, that it was not we who first loved God, but it was he that first loved us, and sent his son to expiate our sins.

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

and we -- we have known and believed the love, that God hath in us; God is love, and he who is remaining in the love, in God he doth remain, and God in him.

fear is not in the love, but the perfect love doth cast out the fear, because the fear hath punishment, and he who is fearing hath not been made perfect in the love;

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, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, of God he hath been begotten, and every one who is loving Him who did beget, doth love also him who is begotten of Him:

because every one who is begotten of God doth overcome the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world -- our faith;

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

This one is he who did come through water and blood -- Jesus the Christ, not in the water only, but in the water and the blood; and the Spirit it is that is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth,

because three are who are testifying in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these -- the three -- are one;

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

He who is believing in the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself; he who is not believing God, a liar hath made Him, because he hath not believed in the testimony that God hath testified concerning His Son;

he who is having the Son, hath the life; he who is not having the Son of God -- the life he hath not.

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

If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not [leading] to death, he should ask, and he will grant life to him, to those who sin not [leading] to death. ([There] is a sin [leading] to death; I do not say that he should ask about that.

We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him;

and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during!