1 john – Legacy Edition — 2001 Translation of the Bible

Written for Jesus’ Apostle John, possibly in Aramaic, sometime late in the 1^st Century CE.

And though Bible critics claim that John didn't write all the books attributed to him
(John, 1st John, 2nd John 3rd John, and Revelation),
the use of certain unique words and descriptions (such as calling Jesus ‘The Word’),
make it obvious to Bible translators that though John in his old age may not have actually penned his documents, he was the author.
Note for example the use of plurals when describing the writer(s) in the first few verses.
Also notice how clearly John delineates the difference between Jesus and God
And notice how his description of ‘the Antichrist’ differs from popular tradition.

Chapter 1

¹ The message of life has been here since the beginning.
We’ve heard about it, seen it with our eyes, stared at it, and felt it with our hands.
² Yes, the life was on display… we’ve seen it, we’ve testified about it, and now we’re reporting to you that there is age-long life with the Father, because He has shown it to us.
³ As the result, we’re reporting back to you about these things that we’ve seen and heard, so that we can share in it with you.

Yes, we’ve shared in this with the Father and His Son Jesus the Anointed One, ⁴ and now we’re writing these things down so that our joy may be made complete.

⁵ The message that we heard from Him (which we want to announce to you) is this:
God is light and there isn’t any darkness in Him!

⁶ Now, if we say that we’re sharing with Him but we just keep on walking in the darkness, we’re lying and we aren’t being truthful.
⁷ But if we’re walking in the light (since He’s in the light), we’re also sharing what we have with each other, and the blood of His Son Jesus is cleansing us of all our sins.

⁸ However, if we should say that we don’t have any sins, we’re misleading ourselves and there is no truth in us.
⁹ But if we will admit to our sins, He will forgive us and wash away all our unrighteousness, because He is faithful and righteous.
¹⁰ For when we say that we haven’t sinned, we’re saying that He is a liar and His words aren’t in us.

Chapter 2

¹ My little children;
I’m writing these things to you so as to keep you from committing any sins.
However, if anyone does commit a sin, we have someone righteous who is our advocate with the Father, Jesus the Anointed One.
² For he is the sacrifice that begs forgiveness for our sins… and not just for ours, but also for those of the whole world!

³ This is how we can be sure that we have come to know him:
If we keep on obeying his commandments.
⁴ So anyone that says, ‘Now I know him,’ but doesn’t obey his commandments, is a liar and the truth isn’t in him.

⁵ However, God’s love has been made perfect in all those that really do as they’ve been told.
And that’s how we know whether we’re really in him.
⁶ For whoever says that he’s in [Jesus] is obligated to keep on walking in the same path that [Jesus] walked.

⁷ Loved ones;
What I’m writing to you about here isn’t a new commandment, it’s an old commandment that you’ve had since the beginning.
This old commandment is all the instructions that you’ve heard so far.

⁸ However; now I’m also writing a new commandment for you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
⁹ It’s that those that say they are already in the light but dislike their brothers, are still in the dark.
¹⁰ Only those that love their brothers are in the light, so they don’t go stumbling about, ¹¹ while those that dislike their brothers are still in darkness and they’re walking around in the dark without any idea of where they’re going, because the darkness has left them blind.

¹² I’m writing to those of you that are still boys, because your sins have been forgiven through his name.
¹³ I’m writing to those of you that are fathers, because you’ve come to know the one that is from long ago.
I’m writing to those of you that are young men, because you’ve conquered the wicked one.

I have written to you that are boys, because you’ve come to know the Father.
¹⁴ I have written to you that are fathers, because you’ve come to know the one that is from long ago.
I have written to you that are young men, because you are strong, God’s word is in you, and you have conquered the wicked one.

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in [it]; for if anyone loves the world, there’s no love of the Father in him.
¹⁶ Because, nothing in this world – its fleshly desires, its lusting after the things we can see, and its trusting that we can each provide for ourselves – comes from the Father.
Rather all of this comes from the world…
¹⁷ And the world is passing away with all of its desires!
However, those that do God’s Will remain through the age.

¹⁸ Young children;
It’s the last hour.
And as you’ve heard, the Antichrist is coming, for there are already many Antichrists… and that’s how we know it’s the last hour.
¹⁹ They left us because they weren’t like us; for if they had been like us, they would still be with us… and this is what proves that they aren’t like us.

²⁰ However, the Holy One has chosen you (but then, you already know that).
²¹ So I’m not writing to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you have known it.

Remember that there are no lies in the truth.
²² And who are the liars? They are the ones who deny that Jesus is the Anointed One.
Yes, these are the Antichrists (gr. antichristos – anti-anointed):
They are the ones that deny both the Father and the Son!
²³ For whoever denies the Son [also denies] the Father.
But those that have the Son also have the Father.

²⁴ As for you;
Hang onto the things that you heard long ago!
For if the things that you heard long ago stick with you, you will remain in the Son and in the Father…
²⁵ And what they have promised us is age-long life!

²⁶ Now, I’m writing this to you [so as to warn you] about those that are trying to lead you astray.
²⁷ I realize that you don’t need anyone to be teaching you, since the anointing that you received from him is still in you, and his anointing is teaching you about everything… it is true and it doesn’t lie.
So, just as it is teaching you, you must remain in him.

²⁸ Little children;
You must stay in him, so that when he is revealed, we can then speak freely and not be shamed at his appearance.
²⁹ For if you recognize the fact that he is righteous, you’ll also recognize that all those that do what is righteous have been fathered by him.

Chapter 3

¹ Look at the type of love that the Father has given us… to be called the children of God (which is what we really are).
And that’s the reason why the world doesn’t understand us… because they don’t understand Him!

² But loved ones;
Although we’re the children of The God, we really haven’t been shown what we will be yet.
All we do know is that when [Jesus] is revealed, we’ll be like him, and then we’ll see him just as he is.

³ Therefore, all those that have been given this hope will purify themselves [so that they can be like him].
⁴ However, those that just keep on sinning are lawbreakers… for lawlessness is sin.

⁵ You already know that the reason why he showed himself [in the flesh] was to take away our sins, since there are no sins in him.
⁶ Therefore, no one that is in him will keep on sinning.
However, those that continue to sin haven’t seen him or come to know him yet.

⁷ Little children;
Don’t allow anyone to mislead you.
Only those that do righteous things can be righteous in the same way that he is righteous;
⁸ For sinners come from the Slanderer, because the Slanderer has been sinning since ancient times.
And the reason why the Son of God was shown [in the flesh] was to wipe away the deeds of the Slanderer.

⁹ Therefore, no one that has been fathered by The God can remain a sinner, because [God’s] seed is in him…
He can’t keep on sinning, because God has become his Father!

¹⁰ Now, it’s easy to tell the children of God from the children of the Slanderer, for God doesn’t become a father to the unrighteous and those that don’t love their brothers.

¹¹ Indeed, from the earliest [days] you’ve heard the message that we must love each other.
¹² [We don’t want to be] like Cain who came from the wicked one and slaughtered his brother.
And why did he slaughter him? Because what his brother did was righteous, while what he did was wicked.
¹³ Therefore brothers; Don’t be surprised that the world hates you!

¹⁴ We know that we’ve crossed over from death to life when we truly love our brothers.
However, those that don’t love them just stay dead.
¹⁵ For whoever dislikes his brother is a murderer… and we all know that murderers won’t receive age-long life.

¹⁶ But we know that we’ve been loved, because [Jesus] gave his life for us… and this is why we should also be willing to lay down our lives for our brothers!
¹⁷ However, how can God’s love be in a person that may have the worldly means to give aid, but doesn’t feel any pity for his brother when he sees that he’s in need?

¹⁸ Little children;
Don’t just love with your tongues and with words, but in reality, by doing [whatever is needed].
¹⁹ And this is how we can prove whether we are really being truthful with ourselves and that our hearts can be confident when we stand before Him.
²⁰ But if our hearts are still condemning us, God is greater than our hearts and He knows all that’s going on in there!

²¹ Loved ones;
If our hearts don’t condemn us, we can have full confidence in God ²² and trust that we’ll receive whatever we ask of Him, because we’re obeying His commandments and doing the things that are pleasing in His eyes.
²³ And this is what He has commanded:
We must believe in the name of His Son Jesus the Anointed, and [we must] love each other… just as He told us.
²⁴ For those that keep His commandments are in Him, and He’s in them!

Yes, this is how we can know that He’s in us:
By the Spirit that He has given to us.

Chapter 4

¹ But loved ones;
Don’t believe every spirit… you must test the spirits to prove whether they actually come from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

² You can tell whether a spirit is from The God by this:
Every spirit that speaks of Jesus the Anointed One as having come in the flesh, comes from God.
³ But any spirit that doesn’t speak of Jesus, doesn’t come from God but from the Antichrist, whom you heard would come into the world… and who is already here.

⁴ Little children;
Since you were fathered by God, you’ve already conquered them all… for [the One] that is in you is greater than the whole world!

⁵ Now, those that are fathered by this world talk about worldly things, and the world listens to them.
⁶ But because we have been fathered by The God, only those that know Him will listen to us, while those that aren’t from Him won’t listen to us…
And this is how you can tell the true spirits from the false spirits.

⁷ Loved ones;
Keep on loving each other, because love comes from God… so those that love, know God, because love comes from God!

⁸ However, those that don’t love haven’t known God, because God is love!

⁹ He showed His love for us when He sent His one-and-only Son into this world so that we could gain life through him.
¹⁰ And this is true love;
Because, [back when] we didn’t love God, He still loved us and He sent His Son as a sacrifice to cover our sins.

¹¹ Loved ones;
If this is how much God loves us, then we’re also obliged to love each other!
¹² Indeed, no one has ever seen The God;
But as long as we love each other, He is in us and He’s perfecting His love in us.

¹³ Therefore, we can know that we’re in Him and He’s in us, because He has given us His Breath…
¹⁴ And we’ve also seen and testified to the fact that the Father sent His Son as the Savior of the world.
¹⁵ For whenever anyone admits that Jesus the Anointed One is God’s Son, God is in [this person] and he’s in God.

¹⁶ So, this is how we’ve come to know and believe in the love that The God has for us…
Because God is love, and whoever keeps on loving is in God and God is in him.

¹⁷ This love is also being made perfect in us, so we’ll be able to speak freely in the Judgment Day.
And by this, we can be just like Him while we’re still in this world!

¹⁸ Understand that there isn’t any fear in love, because perfect love casts out all our fears.
However, those that are still afraid are being tormented by it, because they still haven’t perfected their love.
¹⁹ But, as for us;
We love because He loved us first!

²⁰ Therefore, if anyone says ‘I love God,’ and he still dislikes his brother, he’s a liar!
For if he doesn’t love his brother whom he can see, how can he love God whom he can’t see?

²¹ So we have this commandment from Him:
‘All that would love God must also love their brothers!’

Chapter 5

¹ Now, those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed One have been fathered by The God.
And those who love the One that fathered [them] must also love those that He fathered.
² And this is how we know that we love the children of God:
When we love God and we are obeying His commandments.
³ Yes, you show your love for God by obeying His commandments… and His commandments aren’t hard to follow.
⁴ For all who have been fathered by The God have conquered the world;
And the victor that conquers the world is our faith.

⁵ So, who has conquered the world other than those who have faith that Jesus is the Son of The God?
⁶ For he’s the one that came through water and blood… Jesus the Anointed!
No, not just through water, but through water and blood!
And the Spirit testifies to this, because the Spirit is true.

⁷ So there are these three witnesses:
⁸ the Spirit, the water, and the blood,
and these three are one.

⁹ Understand that if we can believe the testimony that men provide, the testimony that God gives is even greater…
And God has personally testified about His Son!
¹⁰ So, all those that put faith in the Son of God now have this testimony within themselves!

Yet, those that don’t believe God’s own testimony are making Him out to be a liar, because they haven’t trusted what God personally said about His Son.
¹¹ And this is what He testified to:
He will give us age-long life, and this life is in His Son!
¹² Therefore, those that have the Son also have the life (gr. ten zoen).
But those who don’t have the Son don’t have the life.

¹³ I’m writing all of this to you, so you’ll know that those who have faith in the name of the Son of God have age-long life.
¹⁴ And as the result; we can trust that no matter what we may ask for ourselves (as long as it’s His Will), He hears us.
¹⁵ So if we know that He hears whatever we ask of Him, we also know that we’ll have the things for which we’ve asked, just because we asked Him.

¹⁶ Now, if you should see your brother committing a sin that isn’t deadly, you can ask that he might be given life, not death.

However, there are sins that do bring death, and when it comes to such sins, I’m telling you not to ask for anything.
¹⁷ Of course, everything that’s unrighteous is a sin… but there are sins that aren’t deadly.

¹⁸ We know that none of those that have been fathered by God will continue to sin;
For having The God as their Father protects them so that the Wicked One can’t touch them.
¹⁹ And we know that, while we come from The God, the whole world is still under the influence of the evil one.

²⁰ We also know that the Son of God has come here and he has given us the understanding so that we might know this One that is True, and that we are living in this True One through His Son Jesus the Anointed.
For He is the God of truth and of age-long life!

²¹ Little children;
Guard yourselves from the idols!

The Ancient Scriptures of Israel

The Christian Era Scriptures

Note that this is the legacy version of the translation last updated in December 2020. You can also see the latest version.

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