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.¹

1. Or “we are lying and are not practicing the truth”

⁷ But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus 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 our¹ sins and will cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.