The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise, like some people are, but is [simply] being patient with you, since He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but He wants everyone to repent [i.e., change their hearts and lives].

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,

since you are awaiting and hastening the coming of the day of God, which will cause the heavens to blaze and dissolve and the heavenly bodies to burn up and melt away!

But according to his promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness makes her dwelling.

And so, beloved, since you are looking for these things, continually give diligence that you may be found in peace, unspotted and blameless in his sight.

as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

For this reason, my loved ones, having knowledge of these things before they take place, take care that you are not turned away by the error of the uncontrolled, so falling from your true faith.

It is of what has existed from the beginning, of what we have listened to, of what we have seen with our own eyes, of what we have witnessed and touched with our own heads, it is concerning the Logos of Life that we are now writing.

And the Life was made visible, and we have seen it and are bearing witness, and are bringing you word of that Eternal Life which was face to face with the Father and was made visible to us.

It is what we have seen and heard that we are announcing to you, in order that you also may have partnership with us; and our partnership is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

And we are writing all this to you that our joy may be complete.

This, then, is the message that we have heard from him, and are announcing to you, that God is light, and no darkness what ever is in him.

If we say, "We have partnership with Him," when we are passing our life in the darkness, we are lying and are not doing the truth.

But is we are passing our life in the light, as he is in the light, we ever have partnership with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ is cleansing us from every sin.

If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.

If we are confessing our sins, faithful, is he and, righteous - that he should forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say, "We have not sinned," we are making him a liar, and his word is not in us.

And He is the One who provides a "covering over" [or atonement] for our sins [See Heb. 2:17; Dan. 9:24; II Chron. 29:24], and not for ours [who are already Christians] only, but also for the sins of the people of the whole world.

And this is how we know [daily, by experience] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]: if we habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings).

but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him:

And yet I *am* giving you a new command, for such it really is, so far as both He and you are concerned: because the darkness is now passing away and the light, the true light, is already beginning to shine.

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

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.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

because everything that is in the world, the things that our lower nature and eyes are longing for, and the proud pretensions of life, do not come from the Father, but from the world;

and the world and its lusts are passing away, but he who ever does the will of God abides forever.

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you were given word that the Antichrist would come, so now a number of Antichrists have come to you; and by this we are certain that it is the last hour.

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.

I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie [nothing false, no deception] is of the truth.

Let that which you heard from the beginning abide in you. If that which you heard from the beginning may abide in you, you also are abiding in the Son, and in the Father.

I write you this with reference to those who are trying to lead you astray,

And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him remains within you, and there is no need for any one to teach you. But since His anointing gives you instruction in all things--and is true and is no falsehood--you are continuing in union with Him even as it has taught you to do.

If you know that He is absolutely righteous, you know [for certain] that everyone who practices righteousness [doing what is right and conforming to God’s will] has been born of 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.

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.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

Because this is the word which was given to you from the first, that we are to have love for one another;

We are not to be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One, and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? It was because his own deeds were evil, and his brother's, righteous.

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.

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.

Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him:

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

His command is this??hat we are to believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he has commanded us to do.

The one who habitually keeps His commandments [obeying His word and following His precepts, abides and] remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know and have the proof that He [really] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us [as a gift].

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

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

They are of the world: therefore speak they as of the world, and the world heareth them.

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.

Dearly beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God. And all that love are born of God, and knoweth God.

By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also are obligated to love each other.

And his Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us.

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

We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him.

Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

If a man says, I have love for God, and has hate for his brother, his words are false: for how is the man who has no love for his brother whom he has seen, able to have love for God whom he has not seen?

All that believe that Jesus is Christ, are born of God. And all that loveth him which begat, loveth him also which was begotten of him.

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.

Because those who testify are three:

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

If we accept [as we do] the testimony of men [that is, if we are willing to take the sworn statements of fallible humans as evidence], the testimony of God is greater [far more authoritative]; for this is the testimony of God, that He has testified regarding His Son.

These things I did write to you who are believing in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that life ye have age-during, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

And we are certain that if we make any request to him which is right in his eyes, he will give ear to us:

And if we are certain that he gives ear to all our requests, we are equally certain that we will get our requests.

If one should see his brother committing a sin, not unto death, he shall ask, and He will grant unto him life, - for them who are sinning, not unto death. There, is, a sin, unto death: not concerning that, am I saying, that he should make request.

Any wrongdoing is sin; and there are sins that do not lead to death.

We are certain that one who is a child of God will do no sin, but the Son of God keeps him so that he is not touched by the Evil One.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in the evil one.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

The elder [of the church addresses this letter] to the elect (chosen) lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not only I, but also all who know and understand the truth—

I am happy to find that some of your children are living by the truth, just as we had been commanded from the Father to do.

For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Look out for yourselves, take care not to lose what we have worked for, but make sure that you are paid for it in full.

Dear friend, it is my prayer that everything is going well with you and that you are well; I know it is well with your soul.

For I was glad when brothers came and bore testimony to your truth, as indeed you are passing your life in truth.

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are passing their lives in the truth.

Beloved, thou doest a faithful work in whatsoever thou doest toward them that are brethren and strangers withal;

For these [traveling missionaries] went out for the sake of the Name [of Christ], accepting nothing [in the way of assistance] from the Gentiles.

So we ought to support such men, to show that we are ready to co-operate with the truth.

So if I come, I will keep in mind the things he does, talking against us with evil words: and as if this was not enough, he does not take the brothers into his house, and those who are ready to take them in, he keeps from doing so, putting them out of the church if they do.

Demetrius has the approval of all men and of what is true: and we give the same witness, and you are certain that our witness is true.

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother of James. To them which are called and sanctified in God the father, and preserved in Christ Jesus.

For there are certain craftily crept in, of which it was written aforetime unto such judgement. They are ungodly, and turn the grace of our Lord God unto wantonness; And deny God the only Lord, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I want to remind you, even though you are fully aware of these things, that the Lord who once saved his people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe.

while the angels who did not keep their first domain but left their proper abode, are held by him in blank darkness, in everlasting chains, in preparation for the judgment of the Great Day.

even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them - which in like manner defiled themselves, with fornication, and followed strange flesh - are set forth for an example, and suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.

Likewise these dreamers defile the flesh, despise rulers, and speak evil of them that are in authority.

But these speak evil of those things which they know not. In those things which they know naturally - as beasts which are without reason - they corrupt themselves.

Woe be unto them, for they have followed the way of Cain, and are utterly given to the error of Balaam for lucre's sake, and are cast away in the treason of Korah.

These are spots which of your kindness feast together, without fear, feeding themselves. Clouds they are without water, carried about of winds: and trees without fruit at gathering time, twice dead, and plucked up by the roots.

They are raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. They are wandering stars, to whom is reserved the mist of darkness forever.

to give judgment against all men, and to rebuke all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their cruel speakings, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, whose mouths speak proud things. They have men in great reverence because of advantage.

These are makers of sects, fleshly, having no spirit.

And on some have mercy, who are in doubt;