Bible in 90 Days

The Wisdom From Above

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show his works by his good life in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, do not boast and do not lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, and devilish. ¹⁶ For where there is envying and strife, there is confusion and every evil work.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Friendship With the World

4 Where do wars and fights among you come from? Do they not come from your lusts that war in your body? ² You lust and do not have, so you kill. You desire to have and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have, because you do not ask. ³ You ask, and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your passions.

⁴ You adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. ⁵ Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “He yearns jealously for the spirit that lives in us”^[a]? ⁶ But He gives more grace. For this reason it says:

⁷ Therefore submit yourselves to God. 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 Grieve and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to dejection. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Judging a Brother

¹¹ Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. He who speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. ¹² There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Warning Against Boasting

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit,” ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But now you are rejoicing in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, it is sin.

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. ² Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures for the last days. ⁴ Indeed the wages that you kept back by fraud from the laborers who harvested your fields are crying, and the cries of those who harvested have entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. ⁵ You have lived in pleasure on the earth and have been wayward. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and killed the righteous man who does not resist you.

Patience and Prayer

⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Look, the Judge is standing at the door.

¹⁰ My brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the purpose of the Lord, that the Lord is very gracious and merciful.

¹² But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No,” that you do not fall into condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.

¹⁷ Elijah was a man subject to natural passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

¹⁹ Brothers, if any one of you strays from the truth and someone corrects him, ²⁰ let him know that he who converts the sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Salutation

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the refugees scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

A Living Hope

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that does not fade away, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now, if for a little while, you have had to suffer various trials, ⁷ in order that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tried by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸ whom, having not seen, you love; and in whom, though you do not see Him now, you believe and you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, ⁹ receiving as the result of your faith the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that should come to you have inquired and searched diligently, ¹¹ seeking the events and time the Spirit of Christ, who was within them, signified when He foretold the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, concerning the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you through the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven—things into which the angels desire to look.

A Call to Holy Living

¹³ Therefore guard your minds, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children do not conduct yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. ¹⁵ But as He who has called you is holy, so be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”^[c]

¹⁷ And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your sojourning. ¹⁸ For you know that you were not redeemed from your vain way of life inherited from your fathers with perishable things, like silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He was foreordained before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for you. ²¹ Through Him you believe in God who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

²² Since your souls have been purified by obedience to the truth through the Spirit unto a genuine brotherly love, love one another deeply with a pure heart, ²³ for you have been born again, not from perishable seed, but imperishable, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. ²⁴ For

This is the word that was preached to you.

The Living Stone and the Holy Nation

2 Therefore put away all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. ² As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow, ³ if it is true that you have experienced that the Lord is good.

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone who is rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For also it is contained in the Scripture,

⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious. But to those who are disobedient,

⁸ and,

They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, to which also they were appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may declare the goodness of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ¹⁰ In times past, you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Live as Servants of God

¹¹ Dearly beloved, I implore you as aliens and refugees, abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. ¹² Live your lives honorably among the Gentiles, so that though they speak against you as evildoers, they shall see your good works and thereby glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit yourselves to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is the will of God that by doing right you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶ As free people, do not use your liberty as a covering for evil, but live as servants of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

The Example of Christ’s Suffering

¹⁸ Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹ For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God a person endures grief, suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if when you are being beaten for your sins you patiently endure? But if when doing good and suffering for it, you patiently endure, this is favorable before God. ²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²³ When He was reviled, He did not revile back; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but He entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously. ²⁴ He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. “By His wounds you were healed.”^{[i] 25} For you were as sheep going astray, but now have been returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3 Likewise you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that if any do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² as they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Do not let your adorning be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine clothing. ⁴ But let it be the hidden nature of the heart, that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in this manner, in the old times, the holy women, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, ⁶ even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You are her children as long as you do right and are not afraid with any terror.

⁷ Likewise, you husbands, live considerately with your wives, giving honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they too are also heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake

⁸ Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious, and be kind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil, or curse for curse, but on the contrary, bless, knowing that to this you are called, so that you may receive a blessing. ¹⁰ For

¹³ Who is he who will harm you if you follow that which is good? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. “Do not be afraid of their terror, do not be troubled.”^{[k] 15} But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear. ¹⁶ Have a good conscience so that evildoers who speak evil of you and falsely accuse your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. ¹⁷ For it is better, if it is the will of God, that you suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸ For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹ by whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ who in times past were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ²¹ Figuratively this is like baptism, which also saves us now. It is not washing off the dirt from the body, but a response to God from a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him.

Good Stewards of God’s Grace

4 Therefore, since Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ² so that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh serving human desires, but the will of God. ³ For in earlier times of our lives it may have sufficed us to do what the Gentiles like to do, when we walked in immorality: lusts, drunkenness, carousing, debauchery, and abominable idolatries. ⁴ They are surprised that you do not join them in the same excess of wild living, and so they speak evil of you. ⁵ They will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, so that even though they might be judged according to men in the flesh, they might live according to God in the spirit.

⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be solemn and sober so you can pray. ⁸ Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ As everyone has received a gift, even so serve one another with it, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone serves, let him serve with the strength that God supplies, so that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you. ¹³ But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, so that you may rejoice and be glad also in the revelation of His glory. ¹⁴ If you are reproached because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. ¹⁵ Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or even as a busybody. ¹⁶ Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God because of it. ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins first with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

¹⁹ So then, let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.

Tending the Flock of God

5 I exhort the elders who are among you, as one who is also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: ² Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, take care of them, not by constraint, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. ³ Do not lord over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory that will not fade away.

⁵ Likewise you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders. Yes, all of you be submissive one to another and clothe yourselves with humility, because

⁶ Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. ⁷ Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.

⁸ Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

¹⁰ But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹² With the help of Silas, whom I consider to be a faithful brother to you, I have written briefly, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.

¹³ The church that is at Babylon, elect together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace be with all you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Salutation

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

The Christian’s Call and Election

³ His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.

⁵ For this reason make every effort to add virtue to your faith; and to your virtue, knowledge; ⁶ and to your knowledge, self-control; and to your self-control, patient endurance; and to your patient endurance, godliness; ⁷ and to your godliness, brotherly kindness; and to your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these things reside in you and abound, they ensure that you will neither be useless nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But the one who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted because he has forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, diligently make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. ¹¹ For in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.

¹² Therefore I will not be negligent to always remind you of these things, though you know them and are established in the truth that is present with you. ¹³ I consider it right, as long as I live in this body, to stir you up by reminding you, ¹⁴ knowing that soon I will take off this body, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. ¹⁵ And I will also be diligent to make sure that after my death you will always remember these things.

Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word

¹⁶ For we have not followed cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to Him from the majestic glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”^{[n] 18} And we ourselves heard this voice, which came from heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹ And we have a more reliable word of prophecy, which you would do well to follow, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. ²⁰ But know this first of all, that no prophecy of the Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation. ²¹ For no prophecy at any time was produced by the will of man, but holy men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

False Prophets and Teachers^(A)

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their judgment, made long ago, does not linger, and their destruction does not slumber.

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be kept for judgment; ⁵ and if He did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, making them an example to those afterward who would live ungodly lives; ⁷ and if He delivered righteous Lot, who was distressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man lived among them, and what he saw and heard of their lawless deeds tormented his righteous soul day after day); ⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment, ¹⁰ especially those who walk after the flesh in pursuit of unclean desires, and despise authority.

They are presumptuous and arrogant, and are not afraid to slander the angelic beings. ¹¹ Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring slanderous accusations against them before the Lord. ¹² But these people are like irrational animals, born to be captured and destroyed. They speak evil of the things that they do not understand, and in their corruption they will be destroyed.

¹³ They shall receive the wages of unrighteousness. They count it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes who revel in their own deception while they carouse together with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin. They entice unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in greed. They are cursed children! ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and have gone astray. They follow the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness, ¹⁶ but who was rebuked for his iniquity. The mute donkey speaking with a man’s voice constrained the madness of the prophet.

¹⁷ These men are wells without water and clouds that are carried by a storm, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever. ¹⁸ For when they speak arrogant words of vanity, they entice by the lusts of the flesh and by depravity those who barely escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ Although they promise them freedom, they themselves are slaves of corruption, for by that which a man is overcome, to this he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turn back from the holy commandment that was delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog returns to his own vomit,”^[o] and “the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mud.”

The Promise of the Lord’s Coming

3 This is now, beloved, the second epistle I am writing to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder, ² that you should remember the words that were spoken previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken through us, the apostles.

³ Know this first, that there shall come scoffers in the last days who walk after their own lusts, ⁴ and say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were since the beginning of the creation.” ⁵ For they willingly ignore that, by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed standing out of the water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed was flooded with water and perished. ⁷ But by the same word, the heavens and the earth that now exist are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He 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 the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. The earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up.

¹¹ Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² while you are waiting for and desiring the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will be consumed by intense heat? ¹³ But, according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. ¹⁵ Keep in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul has also written to you according to the wisdom given to him. ¹⁶ As in all his letters, he writes about these things, in which some things are hard to understand, which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they also do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own firm footing, being led away by the deception of the wicked. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.

The Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of life— ² the life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and announce to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us— ³ we declare to you that which we have seen and heard, that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ We are writing these things to you so that our joy may be complete.

God Is Light

⁵ This then is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with 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 just 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.

Christ Our Advocate

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you, so that you do not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

³ By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ Whoever says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word truly has the love of God perfected in him. By this we know we are in Him. ⁶ Whoever says he remains in Him ought to walk as He walked.

The New Commandment

⁷ Brothers, I am writing no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard from the beginning. ⁸ Yet a new commandment I am writing to you, which holds true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

⁹ Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

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 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The Antichrist

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last hour. As you have heard that the antichrist will come, even now there are many antichrists. By this 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 no doubt have remained with us. But they went out, revealing that none of them were of us.

²⁰ But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. ²¹ I have written 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 a liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? Whoever denies the Father and the Son is the antichrist. ²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father.

²⁴ Let that which you have heard from the beginning remain in you. If that which 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 that He has promised us—eternal life.

²⁶ I have written these things to you concerning those who deceive you. ²⁷ But the anointing which you have received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. For as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and just as it has taught you, remain in Him.

Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him when He comes.

²⁹ If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who does righteousness is born of Him.

3 Consider how much love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now are we children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. ³ Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

⁴ Whoever practices sin breaks the law, for sin is lawlessness. ⁵ You know that He was revealed to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever remains in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has not seen Him and does not know Him.

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. ⁸ Whoever practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been born of God does not practice sin, for His seed remains in him. And he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Whoever does not live in righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

Love One Another

¹¹ For this is the message that you heard from the beginning: We should love one another, ¹² not like Cain, who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s works were righteous. ¹³ Do not marvel, my brothers, if the world hates you. ¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love his brother remains in death. ¹⁵ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.

¹⁶ By this we know the love of God: that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. ¹⁷ Whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, but closes his heart of compassion from him, how can the love of God remain in him? ¹⁸ My little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.

Confidence Before God

¹⁹ By this we know that we are of the truth, and shall reassure our hearts before Him. ²⁰ For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows everything. ²¹ Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence before God. ²² And whatever we ask, we will receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. ²³ And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us. ²⁴ Now the one who keeps His commandments remains in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He remains in us, through the Spirit whom He has given us.

Test the Spirits

4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and is already in the world.

⁴ You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are of the world, and therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are of God, and whoever knows God listens to us. Whoever is not of God does not listen to us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

God Is Love

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this way the love of God was revealed to us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we must also love one another. ¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us.

¹³ We know that we live in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷ In this way God’s love is perfected in us, so that we may have boldness on the Day of Judgment, because as He is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. Whoever fears is not perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love Him because He first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? ²¹ We have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Overcoming the World

5 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the one born of the Father. ² By this we know that we love the children of God: when 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 for whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes the world is our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The Witness Concerning the Son

⁶ This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ There are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the three are one. ⁸ There are three that testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are toward the one.^{[p] 9} If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God which He has given concerning His Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God has this witness in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he does not believe the testimony that God gave about His Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. ¹² Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Purpose of Writing

¹³ I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. ¹⁴ This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ So if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have whatever we asked of Him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother commit a sin which does not lead to death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life. This is for those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I do not say that he should pray for it. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin that does not lead to death.

¹⁸ We know that whoever is born of God does not keep on sinning. But whoever has been born of God guards himself, and the wicked one cannot touch him. ¹⁹ We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness. ²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true—His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Salutation

The elder,

To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth, and not I only, but also all those who know the truth, ² for the sake of the truth, which remains in us, and will be with us forever:

³ Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Truth and Love

⁴ I greatly rejoiced that I found some of your children walking in truth as we were commanded by the Father. ⁵ And now I ask you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. ⁶ And this is love: that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

⁷ For many deceivers, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Each one is a deceiver and an antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, so that we do not lose those things for which we have worked, but that we receive a full reward. ⁹ Whoever transgresses and does not remain in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in the teaching of Christ 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, nor greet him. ¹¹ For whoever greets him takes part in his evil deeds.

Final Greetings

¹² I have many things to write to you, but I prefer not to write with paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and speak face to face that our joy may be complete.

¹³ The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.

Salutation

The elder,

To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth:

² Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, even as your soul is well. ³ For I greatly rejoiced when brothers came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

Working Together

⁵ Beloved, you are faithful in all you do for the brothers and for strangers, ⁶ who have testified of your love before the church. You will do well to send them along on their journey in a manner worthy of God. ⁷ For His name’s sake they went out, receiving no help from the Gentiles. ⁸ Therefore we ought to receive such men, that we might be fellow workers for the truth.

⁹ I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to put himself first among them, did not accept us. ¹⁰ Because of this, if I come, I will bring up what kinds of works he does: ranting against us with malicious words. Not content with that, he does not accept the brothers, and stops those who want to, and throws them out of the church.

¹¹ Beloved, do not imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. Whoever does good is from God, but whoever does evil has not seen God. ¹² Demetrius receives good reports from everyone and from the truth itself. Yes, and we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true.

Final Greetings

¹³ I had many things to write, but I would rather not write to you with pen and ink. ¹⁴ Instead, I hope to see you soon, and we shall speak face to face.

Peace be to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.