Bible in 90 Days

The Wisdom That Comes Down from Above

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his^[a] good behavior his works, with the humility of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. ¹⁵ This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, obedient, full of mercy and good fruits, nonjudgmental, without hypocrisy, ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among^[b] those who make peace.

Subject Yourselves to God

4 From where are conflicts and from where are quarrels among you? Is it not from this, from your pleasures that wage war among your members? ² You desire and do not have; you murder and are filled with envy, and are not able to obtain; you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, in order that you may spend it on your pleasures.

⁴ Adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that in vain the scripture says, “The spirit which he caused to dwell in us desires jealously”?^{[c] 6} But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says,

⁷ Therefore subject yourselves to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded! ⁹ Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your^[e] joy to gloominess. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹ Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. The one who speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of the law.^{[f] 12} There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your^[g] neighbor?

Arrogant Boasting About the Future

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there, and carry on business and make a profit,” ¹⁴ you who do not know what will happen tomorrow^[h], what your life will be like^[i]. For you are a smoky vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears. ¹⁵ Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to the one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Woes on the Rich Who Oppress Others

5 Come now, you rich people, weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your wealth has rotted, and your clothing has become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver have become corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you, and it will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages that were held back by you from the workers who reap your fields cry out, and the cries of the reapers have come to the ears of the Lord of hosts. ⁵ You have lived self-indulgently on the earth^[j] and have lived luxuriously. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous person; he does not resist you.

Exhortation to Patience

⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient concerning it until it receives the early and late rains. ⁸ You also be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near. ⁹ Brothers, do not complain against one another, in order that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge stands before the doors! ¹⁰ Brothers, take as an example of perseverance and endurance the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider blessed those who have endured. You have heard about the patient endurance of Job, and you saw the outcome from the Lord, that the Lord is compassionate and merciful. ¹² Now above all, my brothers, do not swear either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your yes be yes and your no, no, in order that you may not fall under judgment.

The Effective Prayer of Faith

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering misfortune? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the elders of the church and they should pray over him, anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins he will be forgiven^[k]. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a human being^[l] with the same nature as us, and he prayed fervently^[m] for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you should wander away from the truth and someone turns him back, ²⁰ he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that person’s^[n] soul from death, and will cover over a great number of sins.

Greeting

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen^[o] who are residing temporarily in the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

A New Birth to a Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ into an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you ⁵ who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, ⁶ in which you rejoice greatly, although^[p] now for a short time, if necessary,^[q] you are distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom, although you^[r] have not seen, you love; in whom now you believe, although you^[s] do not see him, and you rejoice greatly with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining the goal of your faith, the salvation of your^[t] souls.

¹⁰ Concerning this^[u] salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace meant for you sought and made careful inquiry, ¹¹ investigating for what person or which time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he^[v] testified beforehand to the sufferings with reference to Christ and the glories after these things, ¹² to whom it was revealed that they were serving not themselves but you with reference to the same things which now have been announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which^[w] angels desire to look.

Be Holy in All Your Conduct

¹³ Therefore, when you have prepared your minds for action^[x] by^[y] being self-controlled, put your hope completely in the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former desires you used to conform to^[z] in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but as the one who called you is holy, you yourselves be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ for it is written, “You will be holy, because I am^[aa] holy.”^{[ab][ac] 17} And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your temporary residence, ¹⁸ because you^[ad] know that you were redeemed from your futile way of life inherited from your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb ²⁰ who was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has been revealed in these last times for you ²¹ who through him are believing in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love, love one another fervently from the heart,^{[ae] 23} because you^[af] have been born again, not from perishable seed but imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For

And this is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

Chosen as Living Stones

2 Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, ² like newborn infants long for the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, ³ if you have tasted that the Lord is kind,^{[ai] 4} to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God. ⁵ And you yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in scripture,

⁷ Therefore the honor is for you who believe, but for those who refuse to believe,

⁸ and

who stumble because they^[am] disobey the word to which also they were consigned. ⁹ But you are a chosen race,^[an] a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, ¹⁰ who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, the ones who were not shown mercy, but now are shown mercy.^[ao]

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your^[ap] soul, ¹² maintaining your good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, by seeing your good deeds they may glorify God on the day of visitation.

Submission to Established Authority

¹³ Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king^[aq] as having supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For the will of God is as follows: by^[ar] doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free persons, and not using your^[as] freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.^[at]

¹⁸ Domestic slaves, be subject to your^[au] masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust. ¹⁹ For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrows while^[av] suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you^[aw] sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you^[ax] do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps, ²² who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth,^{[ay] 23} who when he^[az] was reviled, did not revile in return; when^[ba] suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, ²⁴ who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed. ²⁵ For you were going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3 In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they^[bb] see your respectful, pure conduct. ³ Let your^[bc] adornment not be the external kind, braiding hair and putting on gold jewelry or putting on fine clothing, ⁴ but the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is highly valuable in the sight of God. ⁵ For in the same way formerly the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves by^[bd] being subject to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you have become when you^[be] do good and are not frightened with respect to any terror.

⁷ Husbands, in the same way live with your wives knowledgeably^[bf], as with the weaker female vessel, showing them honor as fellow heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Called to Inherit a Blessing

⁸ And finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual affection, compassionate, humble, ⁹ not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing. ¹⁰ For

Suffer for Doing What is Good

¹³ And who is the one who will harm you if you are a zealous adherent for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you might suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their intimidation or be disturbed,^{[bi] 15} but set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for an accounting concerning the hope that is in you. ¹⁶ But do so with courtesy and respect, having a good conscience, so that in the things in which you are slandered, the ones who malign your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it^[bj], than for doing evil.

²⁰ who were formerly disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah, while^[bk] an ark was being constructed, in which a few—that is, eight souls—were rescued through water. ²¹ And^[bl] also, corresponding to this, baptism now saves you, not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him.

The Time for Behaving Like the Gentiles is Past

4 Therefore, because^[bm] Christ suffered in the flesh, you also equip yourselves with the same way of thinking, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for the will of God. ³ For the time that has passed was sufficient to do what the Gentiles desire to do^[bn], having lived in licentiousness, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries, ⁴ with respect to which they are surprised when^[bo] you do not run with them into the same flood of dissipation, and so they^[bp] revile you. ⁵ They^[bq] will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ Because for this reason also the gospel was preached to those who are dead, so that they were judged by human standards^[br] in the flesh, but they may live in the spirit by God’s standards^[bs].

Serving to the Glory of God

⁷ Now the end of all things draws near. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep^[bt] your love for one another constant, because love covers a large number of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let it be as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, let it be as by the strength that God provides, so that in all things God will be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power forever and ever^[bu]. Amen.

Sharing the Sufferings of Christ

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, when it^[bv] takes place to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. ¹⁴ If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵ By all means do not let anyone of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. ¹⁶ But if someone suffers as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but must glorify God with this name. ¹⁷ For it is the time for the judgment to begin out from the household of God. But if it begins out from us first, what will be the outcome for those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous are saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner^[bw]?^{[bx] 19} So then also those who suffer according to the will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.

Leadership and Humility

5 Therefore I, your fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and^[by] also a sharer of the glory that is going to be revealed, exhort the elders among you: ² shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not by compulsion but willingly, in accordance with God, and not greedily but eagerly, ³ and not as lording it over those under your care^[bz], but being examples for the flock. ⁴ And when^[ca] the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

⁵ In the same way, younger men, be subject to the elders, and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. ⁶ Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the right time, ⁷ casting all your cares on him, because he cares^[cb] for you.

⁸ Be sober; be on the alert. Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him^[cc], steadfast in your^[cd] faith, because you^[ce] know the same kinds of sufferings are being accomplished by your community of believers in the world. ¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,^[cf] after you^[cg] have suffered for a short time, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be the power forever and ever^[ch].^[ci] Amen.

Conclusion and Final Greetings

¹² Through Silvanus, the faithful brother (as I consider him), I have written to you briefly^[cj] to encourage you and to attest that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. ¹³ She who is in Babylon, chosen the same as you, greets you, and so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Greeting

1 Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith equal in value to ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. ² May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ because his divine power has bestowed on us all things that are necessary for life and godliness, through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence of character, ⁴ through which things he has bestowed on us his precious and very great promises, so that through these you may become sharers of the divine nature after^[ck] escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire, ⁵ and for this same reason, and by^[cl] applying all diligence, supply with your faith excellence of character, and with excellence of character, knowledge, ⁶ and with knowledge, self-control, and with self-control, patient endurance, and with patient endurance, godliness, ⁷ and with godliness, brotherly love, and with brotherly love, love.

Make Your Calling and Election Secure

⁸ For if^[cm] these things are yours and are increasing, this does not make you useless or unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one for whom these things are not present is blind, being nearsighted, having forgotten the cleansing^[cn] of his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be zealous even more to make your calling and election secure, because if you^[co] do these things, you will never ever stumble. ¹¹ For in this way entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied for you.

¹² Therefore I intend to remind you continually concerning these things, although you know them and are established in the truth that you have. ¹³ But I consider it right, for as long as I am in this habitation, to stir you up by a reminder, ¹⁴ because I^[cp] know that the removal of my habitation is imminent, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also make every effort that you are able at any time, after my departure, to recall these things to mind^[cq].

The Reliable Prophetic Word of Testimony

¹⁶ For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by^[cr] following ingeniously concocted myths, but by^[cs] being eyewitnesses of that one’s majesty. ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when^[ct] a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we ourselves heard this voice brought from heaven when we^[cu] were with him on the holy mountain, ¹⁹ and we possess as more reliable the prophetic word, to which you do well if you^[cv] pay attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one’s own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Rise and Fall of the False Teachers

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, as there will be false teachers among you also, who will bring in destructive heresies^[cw], even denying the Master who bought them, thus^[cx] bringing on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their licentious ways, because of whom the way of truth will be reviled. ³ And in greediness they will exploit you with false words, whose condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but held them captive in Tartarus with chains of darkness and handed them over to be kept for judgment, ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, and seven others^[cy] when he^[cz] brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, ⁶ and condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes, having appointed them as an example for those who are going to be ungodly, ⁷ and rescued righteous Lot, worn down by the way of life of lawless persons in licentiousness ⁸ (for that righteous man, as he^[da] lived among them day after day, was tormenting his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he was seeing and hearing), ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to reserve the unrighteous to be punished at^[db] the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who go after the flesh in defiling lust^[dc] and who despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they do not tremble in awe as they^[dd] blaspheme majestic beings, ¹¹ whereas angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not bring against them a demeaning judgment.^{[de] 12} But these persons, like irrational animals born only with natural instincts for capture and killing, blaspheming about things^[df] they do not understand, in their destruction will also be destroyed, ¹³ being harmed as the wages of unrighteousness. Considering reveling in the daytime a pleasure, they are stains and blemishes, carousing in their deceitful pleasures when they^[dg] feast together with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of desire for an adulteress and unceasing from sin, enticing unstable persons, and^[dh] having hearts trained for greediness. Accursed children! ¹⁵ By^[di] leaving the straight path, they have gone astray, because they^[dj] followed the way of Balaam the son of Bosor,^[dk] who loved the wages of unrighteousness, ¹⁶ but received a rebuke for his own lawlessness: a speechless donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness^[dl].

¹⁷ These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a hurricane, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For by speaking high-sounding but empty words^[dm], they entice with desires of the flesh and with licentiousness those who are scarcely escaping from those who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom although they^[dn] themselves are slaves of depravity. For to whatever someone succumbs, by this he is also^[do] enslaved. ²⁰ For if, after they^[dp] have escaped from the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord^[dq] and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again entangled in these things and succumb to them, the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them. ²² The statement of the true proverb has happened to them, “A dog returns to its own vomit,”^[dr] and “A sow, after^[ds] washing herself, returns^[dt] to wallowing in the mud.”^[du]

The Coming Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends, this is already the second letter I am writing to you, in both of which I am attempting to stir up your sincere mind by a reminder, ² to remember the words proclaimed beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ above all knowing this, that in the last days scoffers will come with scoffing, following according to their own desires ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since^[dv] the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued just as they have been from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For when^[dw] they maintain this, it escapes their notice that the heavens existed long ago and the earth held together out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ by means of which things the world that existed at that time was destroyed by^[dx] being inundated with water. ⁷ But by the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

⁸ Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he^[dy] does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will disappear with a rushing noise, and the celestial bodies will be destroyed by^[dz] being burned up, and the earth and the deeds done on it will be disclosed. ¹¹ Because^[ea] all these things are being destroyed in this way, what sort of people must you be in holy behavior and godliness, ¹² while^[eb] waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by^[ec] being burned up and the celestial bodies will melt as they^[ed] are consumed by heat! ¹³ But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness resides.

Final Exhortations and Conclusion

¹⁴ Therefore, dear friends, because you^[ee] are waiting for these things, make every effort to be found at peace, spotless and unblemished in him. ¹⁵ And regard the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as also our dear brother Paul wrote to you, according to the wisdom that was given to him, ¹⁶ as he does also in all his^[ef][eg] letters, speaking in them about these things, in which there are some things hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, as they also do the rest of the scriptures. ¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, because you^[eh] know this beforehand, guard yourselves so that you do not lose your own safe position because you^[ei] have been led away by the error of lawless persons. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Prologue

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the word of life— ² and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us— ³ what we have seen and heard, we announce to you also, in order that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And these things we write, in order that our joy may be complete.

God is Light, so Walk in the Light

⁵ And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.^{[ej] 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 his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we do not have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he will forgive us our^[ek] sins and will 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.

Keeping the New Commandment

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you in order that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one, ² and he^[el] is the propitiation^[em] for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. ³ And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. ⁴ The one who says “I have come to know him,” and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in this person. ⁵ But whoever keeps his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected. By this we know that we are in him. ⁶ The one who says that he resides in him ought also to walk^[en] just as that one walked.

⁷ Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the message which you have heard. ⁸ Again, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because^[eo] the darkness is passing away and the true light already is shining. ⁹ The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness until now. ¹⁰ The one who loves his brother resides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Encouragement and Assurance

¹² I am writing to you, little children, because^[ep] your sins have been forgiven you on account of his name. ¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because^[eq] you have known the One who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because^[er] you have conquered the evil one. ¹⁴ I have written to you, children, because^[es] you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because^[et] you have known the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because^[eu] you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, ¹⁶ because everything that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance of material possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and its desire,^[ev] but the one who does the will of God remains forever^[ew].

Departure of the False Teachers

¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen, by which we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us. But they went out^[ex], in order that it might be shown that all of them are not of us.

²⁰ And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. ²¹ I have not written to you because^[ey] you do not know the truth, but because^[ez] you do know it, and because^[fa] every lie is not of the truth. ²² Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This person is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. ²³ Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.

²⁴ As for you, what you have heard from the beginning must remain in you. If what you have heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise which he himself promised us: eternal life. ²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning the ones who are trying to deceive you.

²⁷ And as for you, the anointing which you received from him remains in you, and you do not have need that anyone teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you reside^[fb] in him.

God’s Children

²⁸ And now, little children, remain in him, so that whenever he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming. ²⁹ If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone^[fc] who practices righteousness has been fathered by him.

3 See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called children of God, and we are! Because of this the world does not know us: because it did not know him. ² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever he is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. ³ And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as that one is pure.

⁴ Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know that that one was revealed in order that he might take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶ Everyone who resides in him does not sin. Everyone who sins has neither seen him nor known him. ⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you: the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as that one is righteous. ⁸ The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this reason the Son of God was revealed: in order to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Everyone who is fathered by God does not practice sin, because his seed resides in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. ¹⁰ By this the children of God and the children of the devil are evident: everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, namely, the one who does not love his brother.

God is Love, so Love One Another

¹¹ For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, ¹² not as Cain, who was of the evil one and violently murdered his brother. And for what reason^[fd] did he violently murder him? Because his deeds were evil and the deeds of his brother were righteous.

¹³ Do not marvel,^[fe] brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed over from death to life because we love the brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. ¹⁵ Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life residing in him. ¹⁶ We have come to know love by this: that he^[ff] laid down his life on behalf of us, and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brothers. ¹⁷ But whoever has the world’s material possessions and observes his brother in need^[fg] and shuts his heart against him, how does the love of God reside in him?

¹⁸ Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. ¹⁹ By this^[fh] we know that we are of the truth and will convince our heart before him, ²⁰ that^[fi] if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart and knows all things. ²¹ Dear friends, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God, ²² and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight^[fj]. ²³ And this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us^[fk]. ²⁴ And the one who keeps his commandments resides in him, and he in him. And by this we know that he resides in us: by the Spirit whom he has given to us.

How to Recognize the Spirit of God

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ^[fl] has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

⁴ You are from God, little children, and have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore^[fm] they speak from the world and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

God’s Love Revealed

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been fathered by God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God is revealed in us: that God sent his one and only Son into the world in order that we may live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation^[fn] for our sins.

¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us and his love is perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we reside in him and he in us: that^[fo] he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God resides in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have come to know and have believed the love that God has in us. God is love, and the one who resides in love resides in God, and God resides in him. ¹⁷ By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as that one is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear includes punishment, and the one who is afraid has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love, because he first loved us.

²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen is not able to love God whom he has not seen. ²¹ And this is the commandment we have from him: that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father^[fp] also loves the child fathered by him. ² By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and keep his commandments. ³ For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, ⁴ because everyone who is fathered by God conquers the world.

God Has Given Us Eternal Life in the Son

And this is the victory which has conquered the world: our faith. ⁵ Now who is the one who conquers the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ, not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify,^{[fq] 8} the Spirit and the water and the blood, and the three are in agreement^[fr].

⁹ If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that he has testified concerning his Son. ¹⁰ (The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son.) ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹² The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Our Assurance of Eternal Life

¹³ These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have before him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked from him. ¹⁶ If anyone should see his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he should ask, and he will grant life to him, to those who sin not leading to death. (There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should ask about that. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.)

¹⁸ We know that everyone who is fathered by God does not sin, but the one fathered by God, he protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. ¹⁹ We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, in order that we may know the one who is true, and we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life. ²¹ Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

Greeting

¹ The elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all those who know the truth— ² because of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever^[fs]. ³ Grace, mercy, peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father in truth and love.

⁴ I was very glad^[ft] because I found some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us^[fu].

Watch Out for False Teachers

⁵ And now I ask you, lady (not as if I were writing a new commandment to you, but one that we have had from the beginning), that we should love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. ⁷ For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess Jesus Christ^[fv] coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist! ⁸ Watch yourselves that you do not lose what we have worked for, but receive a full reward.

⁹ Everyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching—this person has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not speak a greeting to him, ¹¹ because the one who speaks a greeting to him shares in his evil deeds.

Conclusion and Final Greeting

¹² Although^[fw] I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so by means of paper and ink, but I hope to be with you and to speak face to face^[fx], so that your^[fy] joy may be complete. ¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you.

Greeting

¹ The elder, to Gaius the beloved, whom I love in the truth. ² Dear friend, I pray you may prosper concerning everything and be healthy, just as your soul prospers. ³ For I rejoiced exceedingly when the^[fz] brothers came and testified to your truth, just as you are walking in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than this: that I hear my children are walking in the truth.

Instructions to Gaius

⁵ Dear friend, you act faithfully^[ga] in whatever you do for the brothers, even though they are strangers^[gb]. ⁶ They have testified to your love before the church; you will do well to send them^[gc] on their way in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ For they have gone out on behalf of the name, accepting nothing from the pagans.^{[gd] 8} Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become fellow workers with the truth.

Diotrephes Causes Trouble

⁹ I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who wants to be first among them, does not acknowledge us. ¹⁰ Therefore, if I come, I will call attention to the deeds he is doing^[ge], disparaging us with evil words. And not being content with these, he does not receive the brothers himself, and he hinders those wanting to do so and throws them out of the church. ¹¹ Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Demetrius Commended

¹² Demetrius has been testified to by all, even by the truth itself. And we also testify to him, and you know that our testimony is true.

Conclusion and Final Greeting

¹³ I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to write to you by means of ink and pen. ¹⁴ But I hope to see you right away, and to speak face to face^[gf]. ¹⁵ Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.