1 John, 2

1. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1. My little children, I write to you that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an intercessor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One.

2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

2. He is the sacrificial victim for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

3. How can we know that we know him? If we fulfill his commands.

4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

4. If you say, "I know him," but do not fulfill his commands, you are a liar and the truth is not in you.

5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

5. But if you keep his word, God's love is made complete in you. This is how we know that we are in him:

6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

6. he who claims to live in him must live as he lived.

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

7. My dear friends, I am not writing you a new commandment, but reminding you of an old one, one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard.

8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

8. But, in a way, I give it as a new commandment for it was indeed new in Jesus Christ and must be so in you as well, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines.

9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

9. If you claim to be in the light but hate your brother, you are still in darkness.

10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

10. If you love your brothers and sisters, you remain in the light and nothing in you will make you fall.

11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

11. But if you hate your brother you are in the dark and walk in darkness without knowing where you go, for the darkness has blinded you.

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

12. My dear children, I write this to you: you have already received the forgiveness of your sins through the Name of Jesus.

13. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that is] from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

13. Fathers, I write this to you: you know him who is from the beginning. Young men, I write this to you: you have overcome the Evil One. My dear children, I write to you because you already know the Father.

14. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him [that 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 wicked one.

14. Fathers, I write to you because you know him who is from the beginning. Young men, I write to you because you are strong and the Word of God lives in you who have indeed overcome the Evil One.

15. 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.

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

16. 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.

16. For everything in the world - the craving of the flesh, the greed of eyes and people boasting of their superiority - all this belongs to the world, not to the Father.

17. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

17. The world passes away with all its craving but those who do the will of God remain for ever.

18. Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

18. My dear children, it is the last hour. You were told that an antichrist would come; but several antichrists have already come, by which we know that it is now the last hour.

19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

19. They went out from us though they did not really belong to us. Had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. So it became clear that not all of us were really ours.

20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.

20. But you have the anointing from the Holy One, so that all of you have true wisdom.

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

21. I write to you, not because you lack knowledge of the truth, but because you already know it, and lies have nothing in common with the truth.

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

22. Who is the liar? The one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is an antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son.

23. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also].

23. The one who denies the Son is without the Father, and those who acknowledge the Son also have the Father.

24. 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.

24. Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you, too, will remain in the Son and in the Father.

25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life.

25. And this is the promise he himself gave us: eternal life.

26. These [things] have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

26. I write this to you thinking of those who try to lead you astray.

27. 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.

27. You received from him an anointing, and it remains in you, so you do not need someone to teach you. His anointing teaches you all things, it speaks the truth and does not lie to you; so remain in him, and keep what he has taught you.

28. 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.

28. And now, my children, live in him, so that when he appears in his glory, we may be confident and not ashamed before him when he comes.

29. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

29. You know that he is the Just One: know then that anyone living justly is born of God.