1 John 1
Darby Translation
1 That which was from [the] beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we contemplated, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life;
2 (and the life has been manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father, and has been manifested to us:)
3 that which we have seen and heard we report to you, that *ye* also may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship [is] indeed with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we to you that your joy may be full.
5 And this is the message which we have heard from him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not practise the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light as *he* is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and 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 confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us [our] sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1
Expanded Bible
1 We ·write [announce/proclaim to] you now about what ·has always existed [was from the beginning; Gen. 1:1; John 1:1], which we have heard, [L which] we have seen with our own eyes, [L which] we have looked at, and we have touched with our hands. We ·write [announce/proclaim] to you about the ·Word that gives life [Word of life; C associating the logos or “word” with Jesus suggests he is God’s communication with humanity; John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6]. 2 ·He who gives life [L The life] ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. We saw him and can ·give proof about [testify/witness to] it. And now we ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you ·that he has life that continues forever [L the eternal life]. He was with ·God the Father [L the Father] and ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. 3 We ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you what we have seen and heard, ·because we want you also to have [so that you also may have] fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with ·God the Father [L the Father] and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to you so ·we[a] may be full of joy [our joy may be complete/perfect/come to full expression].
God Forgives Our Sins
5 Here is the message we have heard from ·Christ [L him] and now ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you: God is light [C referring to God’s truth and goodness], and in him there is no darkness [C referring to falsehood and evil] at all. 6 So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we ·continue living [L are walking] in darkness, we are liars and do not ·follow [perform; practice; act according to] the truth [John 8:12; 12:35]. 7 But if we ·live [L walk] in the light, as ·God [L he] is in the light, we ·can share [have] fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say we ·have no sin [or have no sin nature; or are not guilty of sinning], we are ·fooling [deceiving] ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because ·we can trust God to do what is right [L he is faithful and righteous/just; Deut. 32:4]. He will ·cleanse [purify] us from all ·the wrongs we have done [unrighteousness]. 10 If we ·say [claim] we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and ·we do not accept God’s teaching [L his word is not in us].
Footnotes
- 1 John 1:4 we Some Greek copies read “you.”
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