The First Epistle General of John

1:1That which was from thebeginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which wehave looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 1:2(For the life was manifested, andwe have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternallife, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 1:3That which we have seen and hearddeclare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and trulyour fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1:4And these things write weunto you, that your joy may be full.

1:5This then is themessage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God islight, and in him is no darkness at all. 1:6If we say that we have fellowshipwith him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 1:7But if we walk in the light, as heis in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood ofJesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1:8If we say that we have no sin, wedeceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1:9If we confess our sins, he isfaithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us fromall unrighteousness. 1:10Ifwe say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not inus.

2:1My little children,these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, wehave an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2:2And he is the propitiation for oursins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the wholeworld. 2:3And hereby we doknow that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 2:4He that saith, I know him, andkeepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 2:5But whoso keepeth hisword, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that weare in him. 2:6He that saithhe abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

2:7Brethren, I write nonew commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from thebeginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from thebeginning. 2:8Again, a newcommandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you:because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 2:9He that saith he is in the light,and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 2:10He that loveth his brotherabideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 2:11But he that hateth hisbrother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whitherhe goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 2:12I write unto you, littlechildren, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake. 2:13I write unto you,fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. Iwrite unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. Iwrite unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 2:14I have written unto you, fathers,because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I havewritten unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of Godabideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 2:15Love not the world, neither thethings that are in the world. If any man love the world, the loveof the Father is not in him. 2:16For all that is in theworld, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride oflife, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 2:17And the world passeth away, andthe lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

2:18Little children, it isthe last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even noware there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. 2:19They went out from us,but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would nodoubt have continued with us: but they went out, that theymight be made manifest that they were not all of us. 2:20But ye have an unction from theHoly One, and ye know all things. 2:21I have not written unto youbecause ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie isof the truth. 2:22Who is aliar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, thatdenieth the Father and the Son. 2:23Whosoever denieth the Son, thesame hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath theFather also. 2:24Let thattherefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If thatwhich ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shallcontinue in the Son, and in the Father. 2:25And this is the promise that hehath promised us, even eternal life. 2:26These things have Iwritten unto you concerning them that seduce you. 2:27But the anointing which ye havereceived 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 isno lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 2:28And now, little children, abidein him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not beashamed before him at his coming. 2:29If ye know that he is righteous,ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

3:1Behold, what manner oflove the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sonsof God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 3:2Beloved, now are we thesons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we knowthat, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him ashe is. 3:3And every man thathath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 3:4Whosoever committeth sintransgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 3:5And ye know that he wasmanifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 3:6Whosoever abideth in him sinnethnot: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 3:7Little children, let no mandeceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he isrighteous. 3:8He thatcommitteth 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 theworks of the devil. 3:9Whosoever is born of God doth notcommit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because heis born of God. 3:10In thisthe children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoeverdoeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not hisbrother. 3:11For this is themessage that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 3:12Not as Cain, whowas of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him?Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.

3:13Marvel not, mybrethren, if the world hate you. 3:14We know that we have passed fromdeath unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth nothis brother abideth in death. 3:15Whosoever hateth his brother is amurderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 3:16Hereby perceive we thelove of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought tolay down our lives for the brethren. 3:17But whoso hath this world’sgood, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels ofcompassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 3:18My little children, let us notlove in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 3:19And hereby we know that we are ofthe truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 3:20For if our heart condemn us, Godis greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 3:21Beloved, if our heart condemn usnot, then have we confidence toward God. 3:22And whatsoever we ask, we receiveof him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that arepleasing in his sight. 3:23And this is his commandment, Thatwe should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love oneanother, as he gave us commandment. 3:24And he that keepeth hiscommandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that heabideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

4:1Beloved, believe notevery spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because manyfalse prophets are gone out into the world. 4:2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God:Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is ofGod: 4:3And every spirit thatconfesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: andthis is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that itshould come; and even now already is it in the world. 4:4Ye are of God, little children,and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he thatis in the world. 4:5They areof the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareththem. 4:6We are of God: hethat knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Herebyknow we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

4:7Beloved, let us loveone another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God,and knoweth God. 4:8He thatloveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 4:9In this was manifested the love ofGod toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world,that we might live through him. 4:10Herein is love, not that we lovedGod, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiationfor our sins. 4:11Beloved, ifGod so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 4:12No man hath seen God at any time.If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected inus. 4:13Hereby know we thatwe dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 4:14And we have seen and dotestify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of theworld. 4:15Whosoever shallconfess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 4:16And we have known andbelieved the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwellethin love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 4:17Herein is our love made perfect,that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so arewe in this world. 4:18Thereis no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hathtorment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 4:19We love him, because he firstloved us. 4:20If a man say, Ilove God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not hisbrother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 4:21And this commandment havewe from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

5:1Whosoever believeththat Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth himthat begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 5:2By this we know that we love thechildren of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 5:3For this is the love of God, thatwe keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 5:4For whatsoever is born of Godovercometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,even our faith. 5:5Whois he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is theSon of God? 5:6This is hethat came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only,but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, becausethe Spirit is truth. 5:7Forthere are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and theHoly Ghost: and these three are one. 5:8And there are three that bearwitness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and thesethree agree in one. 5:9If wereceive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is thewitness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 5:10He that believeth on the Son ofGod hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him aliar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 5:11And this is the record,that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 5:12He that hath the Son hathlife; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 5:13These things have I written untoyou that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that yehave eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 5:14And this is theconfidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to hiswill, he heareth us: 5:15Andif we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have thepetitions that we desired of him. 5:16If any man see his brother sin asin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give himlife for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do notsay that he shall pray for it. 5:17All unrighteousness is sin: andthere is a sin not unto death. 5:18We know that whosoever is born ofGod sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and thatwicked one toucheth him not. 5:19And we know that we are of God,and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 5:20And we know that the Sonof God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know himthat is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son JesusChrist. This is the true God, and eternal life. 5:21Little children, keep yourselvesfrom idols. Amen. Authorized King James Version, originally published by Oxford Press, Oxford, 1769