1 John 1
John declares that he and the apostles are eyewitnesses of the Word of life, which was from the beginning, and that their message is that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. He teaches that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
| v | King James Version | Modern English |
|---|---|---|
| 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 handled, of the Word of life; | What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands — this is what we proclaim concerning the Word of life. |
| 2 | (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) | The life was revealed to us. We have seen it and testify to it, and we declare to You the eternal life which was with the Father and was revealed to us. |
| 3 | That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. | We declare to You what we have seen and heard, so that You also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. |
| 4 | And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. | We write this to make our joy complete. |
| 5 | This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. | This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to You: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. |
| 6 | If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: | If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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 cleanseth us from all sin. | 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 have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. | If we claim to be without 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 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. | If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will 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. | If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us. |