1 John 2
English Standard Version
Christ Our Advocate
2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, (A)we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 (B)He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but (C)also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we (D)keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments (E)is a liar, and (F)the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever (G)keeps his word, in him truly (H)the love of God is perfected. (I)By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he (J)abides in him (K)ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
The New Commandment
7 Beloved, I am writing you (L)no new commandment, but (M)an old commandment (N)that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 At the same time, it is (O)a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because[a] (P)the darkness is passing away and (Q)the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says he is in the light and (R)hates his brother is still in darkness. 10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him[b] there is no (S)cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and (T)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because (U)your sins are forgiven for his name's sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know (V)him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because (W)you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because (X)you know the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you know (Y)him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because (Z)you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
15 (AA)Do not love the world or the things in the world. (AB)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—(AC)the desires of the flesh and (AD)the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And (AE)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Warning Concerning Antichrists
18 Children, (AF)it is the last hour, and as you have heard that (AG)antichrist is coming, so now (AH)many antichrists have come. (AI)Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 (AJ)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for (AK)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, (AL)that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been (AM)anointed by (AN)the Holy One, and (AO)you all have knowledge.[d] 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but (AP)he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is (AQ)the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 (AR)No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let (AS)what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then (AT)you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us[e]—(AU)eternal life.
26 I write these things to you about (AV)those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But (AW)the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and (AX)you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and (AY)is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Children of God
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that (AZ)when he appears (BA)we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his (BB)coming. 29 If you know that (BC)he is righteous, you may be sure that (BD)everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Footnotes
- 1 John 2:8 Or that
- 1 John 2:10 Or it
- 1 John 2:16 Or pride in possessions
- 1 John 2:20 Some manuscripts you know everything
- 1 John 2:25 Some manuscripts you
1 John 2
New Living Translation
2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.
3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
A New Commandment
7 Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. 8 Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
9 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer,[a] that person is still living in darkness. 10 Anyone who loves a fellow believer[b] is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.
12 I am writing to you who are God’s children
because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.[c]
13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith[d]
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you who are young in the faith
because you have won your battle with the evil one.
14 I have written to you who are God’s children
because you know the Father.
I have written to you who are mature in the faith
because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.
I have written to you who are young in the faith
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in your hearts,
and you have won your battle with the evil one.
Do Not Love This World
15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Warning about Antichrists
18 Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 19 These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
20 But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit,[e] and all of you know the truth. 21 So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. 22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ.[f] Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist.[g] 23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. 25 And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us.
26 I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit,[h] and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit[i] teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
Living as Children of God
28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.
29 Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
Footnotes
- 2:9 Greek hates his brother; also in 2:11.
- 2:10 Greek loves his brother.
- 2:12 Greek through his name.
- 2:13 Or to you fathers; also in 2:14.
- 2:20 Greek But you have an anointing from the Holy One.
- 2:22a Or not the Messiah.
- 2:22b Or the antichrist.
- 2:27a Greek the anointing from him.
- 2:27b Greek the anointing.
1 John 2
Good News Translation
Christ Our Helper
2 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one. 2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God's commands, then we are sure that we know him. 4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us. 5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: 6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
The New Command
7 (A)My dear friends, this command I am writing you is not new; it is the old command, the one you have had from the very beginning. The old command is the message you have already heard. 8 However, the command I now write you is new, because its truth is seen in Christ and also in you. For the darkness is passing away, and the real light is already shining.
9 If we say that we are in the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very hour. 10 If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is nothing in us that will cause someone else[a] to sin. 11 But if we hate others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where we are going, because the darkness has made us blind.
12 I write to you, my children, because your sins are forgiven for the sake of Christ. 13 I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong; the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.
15 Do not love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you do not love the Father. 16 Everything that belongs to the world—what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of—none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. 17 The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever.
The Enemy of Christ
18 My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. 19 These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.
20 But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth. 21 I write you, then, not because you do not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know that no lie ever comes from the truth.
22 Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of Christ—they reject both the Father and the Son. 23 For those who reject the Son reject also the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.
24 Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. 25 And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.
26 I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.
28 Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. 29 You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child.
Footnotes
- 1 John 2:10 someone else; or us.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
