New King James Version

New Living Translation

1My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.

2And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

2He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

3Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

3And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.

4He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

4If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.

5But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

5But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.

6He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

6Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. A New Commandment

7Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning.

7Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before.

8Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

8Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.

9He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.

9If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness.

10He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

10Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.

11But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

11But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.

12I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

12I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

13I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

13I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.

14I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

14I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. Do Not Love This World

15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

15Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

16For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

16For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

17And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

17And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. Warning about Antichrists

18Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

18Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come.

19They 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 none of them were of us.

19These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.

20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

20But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth.

21I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

21So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies.

22Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

22And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.

23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

23Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

24So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.

25And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

25And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.

26These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.

26I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray.

27But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

27But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. Living as Children of God

28And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.

28And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.

29If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

29Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.