| This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. | This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. |
| If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. | If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. |
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| But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. | But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. |
| If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. |
| And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. | He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. |
| 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. | Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. |
| For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. | For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. |
| And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. | The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. |
| Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. | No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. |
| Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. | As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. |
| But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. | As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. |
| And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. | And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. |
| Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. | See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. |
| Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. | Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. |
| Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. | Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. |
| He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. | The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. |
| For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. | For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. |
| Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. | This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. |
| But whoso 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? | If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? |
| My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. | Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. |
| Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. | Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. |
| And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. | The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. |
