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

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

And we write this that our joy may be complete.

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

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 this to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Now by this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

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

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

For all that is in the worldthe lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of lifeis not of the Father but is of the world.

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come; by this we know 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 it might be plain that none of them were of us.

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.

Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

But the anointing which you have received from him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.

And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does right is born of him.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God! And so we are! The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

And you know that he appeared to take away our sins, and in him there is no sin.

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 brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

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

whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

And this is his commandment: that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

Now those who keep his commandments abide in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

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

and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.

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

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

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

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

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.

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

In this love is perfected among us, that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment, because as he is so are we in this world.

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

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.

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

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

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the worldour faith.

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

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 of his Son.

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

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

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

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

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.

We know that anyone born of God does not sin; but he who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one.

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

And now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning, that we love one another.

And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in love.

Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may receive a full reward.

Though I have much to write to you, I do not want to use paper and ink, but I hope to come to see you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Beloved, I pray that you may be in good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

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

Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers in the truth.

So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping against us with evil words. And not satisfied with that, he refuses himself to welcome the brethren, and also stops those who want to welcome them and puts them out of the church.

Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

Now I desire to remind you, though you were once for all fully informed, that the Lord who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

But these men revile whatever they do not understand; and the things that they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals do, by these things they are destroyed.

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones,

who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot bear evil men, but you have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and have found them to be false;

But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and I know the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful even until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

I know your works, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that your works are now more than at the first.

Nevertheless I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

And I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word, and have not denied my name.

Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lielook, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and know that I have loved you.

I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot!

You say, "I am rich; I have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,

Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments to clothe you, and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.

And he who sat there was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.

Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

And out came a horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and to him was given a great sword.

The sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind would blow on the earth or the sea or on any tree.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them darkened. And a third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.

and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be no more delay,

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child when it was born.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole worldhe was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Rejoice then, O heavens and you that dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"