1 John 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. Prologue
Chapter 1
The Word of Life[a]
1 What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life—(A)
2 for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—(B)
3 what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.(C)
4 We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.(D)
II. God As Light
God Is Light. 5 Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light,[b] and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.(E) 7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.(F) 8 If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves,[c] and the truth is not in us.(G) 9 If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.(H) 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.(I)
Footnotes
- 1:1–4 There is a striking parallel to the prologue of the gospel of John (Jn 1:1–18), but the emphasis here is not on the preexistent Word but rather on the apostles’ witness to the incarnation of life by their experience of the historical Jesus. He is the Word of life (1 Jn 1:1; cf. Jn 1:4), the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible (1 Jn 1:2; cf. Jn 1:14), and was heard, seen, looked upon, and touched by the apostles. The purpose of their teaching is to share that life, called fellowship…with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ, with those who receive their witness (1 Jn 1:3; Jn 1:14, 16).
- 1:5–7 Light is to be understood here as truth and goodness; darkness here is error and depravity (cf. Jn 3:19–21; 17:17; Eph 5:8). To walk in light or darkness is to live according to truth or error, not merely intellectual but moral as well. Fellowship with God and with one another consists in a life according to the truth as found in God and in Christ.
- 1:8–10 Denial of the condition of sin is self-deception and even contradictory of divine revelation; there is also the continual possibility of sin’s recurrence. Forgiveness and deliverance from sin through Christ are assured through acknowledgment of them and repentance.
Yochanan I 1
Orthodox Jewish Bible
1 What was Bereshis (in the Beginning) which we have examined with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and the hands of us [Shlichim, Ac 1:21-25] touched: the Dvar HaChayyim (Word of Life)!
2 Indeed the Chayyei [Olam] was manifested, and we have seen it and we give solemn eidus (witness of testimony) and we proclaim to you the Chayyei Olam which was alongside with HaAv [Yochanan 1:1-4,14] and made hisgalus (appearance of, exposure of in revelation) to us [Shlichim].
3 What we have seen and what we have heard, we proclaim also to you, that you also may have deveykus (attachment to G-d) with us [Shlichim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] and our deveykus (attachment to G-d) is with HaAv and with the Zun foon Der Oybershter, Moshiach Yehoshua/Yeshua.
4 And these things we [Shlichim] write, that the simcha of us may be made shleimah.
5 And this is the Besuras HaGeulah which we have heard from Him and which we proclaim to you, that Hashem is Ohr (Light), and in Him choshech there is not any at all.
6 If we make the claim that we have deveykus with Him and in the choshech walk, we speak sheker and have no halakhah in the Derech Emes.
7 But if our halakhah is in the Ohr as He is in the Ohr, we have hitkhabrut (joining, adhesion, fellowship) with one another and the dahm of Yehoshua, HaBen of Hashem, gives us tohorah (purification, cleansing) from kol chet. [YESHAYAH 2:5]
8 If we make the claim that we do not have avon (sin), we cause ourselves to fall under mirmah (deceit, fraud, YESHAYAH 53:9) and HaEmes is not in us. [MISHLE 20:9; YIRMEYAH 2:35]
9 If we make vidduy (confession of sin) of chattoteinu (our sins), he is ne’eman (faithful) and tzaddik to grant selicha (forgiveness) of chattoteinu (our sins) and give us tohorah (purification, cleansing) from kol avon. [DEVARIM 32:4; TEHILLIM 32:5; 51:2; MISHLE 28:13; MICHOH 7:18-20]
10 If we make the claim that we have not committed averos, a shakran (liar) we make Him, and the dvar of Him is not in us.
1 John 1
New King James Version
What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched(A)
1 That (B)which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have (C)seen with our eyes, (D)which we have looked upon, and (E)our hands have handled, concerning the (F)Word of life— 2 (G)the life (H)was manifested, and we have seen, (I)and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was (J)with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is (K)with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you (L)that [a]your joy may be full.
Fellowship with Him and One Another
5 (M)This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that (N)God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 (O)If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we (P)walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and (Q)the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we (R)confess our sins, He is (S)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to (T)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we (U)make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Footnotes
- 1 John 1:4 NU, M our
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