Bible in 90 Days
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom.(A) 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 Wisdom of this kind does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.(B) 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.(C)
Chapter 4
Causes of Division.[a] 1 Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions[b] that make war within your members?(D) 2 You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. 3 You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 Adulterers![c] Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.(E) 5 Or do you suppose that the scripture speaks without meaning when it says, “The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy”?[d] 6 But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:(F)
“God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[e]
7 So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.(G) 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you of two minds.(H) 9 Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.(I)
11 Do not speak evil of one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil of a brother or judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law.[f] If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save or to destroy. Who then are you to judge your neighbor?(J)
Warning Against Presumption.[g] 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”— 14 you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.[h] You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.(K) 15 Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it,[i] we shall live to do this or that.” 16 But now you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 (L)So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.[j]
Chapter 5
Warning to the Rich.[k] 1 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.(M) 2 Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,(N) 3 your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.(O) 4 Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.(P) 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.(Q) 6 You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one;(R) he offers you no resistance.[l]
Patience and Oaths. 7 [m]Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.[n] 8 You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.(S) 9 Do not complain, brothers, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. 10 Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of the perseverance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, because “the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”(T)
12 (U)But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath, but let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No,” that you may not incur condemnation.[o]
IV. The Power of Prayer
Anointing of the Sick. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick?[p] He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord,(V) 15 and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.[q]
Confession and Intercession. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 17 Elijah was a human being like us; yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.(W) 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth produced its fruit.(X)
Conversion of Sinners. 19 (Y)My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, 20 (Z)he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.[r]
I. Address
Chapter 1
Greeting.[s] 1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen sojourners of the dispersion[t] in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,(AA) 2 in the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ: may grace and peace be yours in abundance.(AB)
II. The Gift and Call of God in Baptism
Blessing. 3 [u]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,(AC) 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you(AD) 5 who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. 6 [v]In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,(AE) 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.(AF) 8 Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,(AG) 9 as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 [w]Concerning this salvation, prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and investigated it, 11 investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to follow them.(AH) 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you [through] the holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look.
Obedience. 13 [x]Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind,[y] live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance[z] 15 but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,(AI) 16 for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”(AJ)
Reverence. 17 Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,(AK) 18 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold(AL) 19 but with the precious blood of Christ(AM) as of a spotless unblemished lamb.[aa] 20 He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, 21 who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Mutual Love.[ab] 22 Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart.(AN) 23 You have been born anew,(AO) not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God,[ac] 24 for:
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;(AP)
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
Chapter 2
God’s House and People. 1 [ad]Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;(AQ) 2 like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, 3 (AR)for you have tasted that the Lord is good.[ae] 4 Come to him, a living stone,[af] rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,(AS) 5 and, like living stones, let yourselves be built[ag] into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(AT) 6 For it says in scripture:
“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.”(AU)
7 Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:
“The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”(AV)
8 and
“A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.”
They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.(AW)
9 [ah]But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(AX)
10 Once you were “no people”
but now you are God’s people;
you “had not received mercy”
but now you have received mercy.(AY)
III. The Christian in a Hostile World
Christian Examples. 11 [ai]Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners[aj] to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.(AZ) 12 Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Christian Citizens.[ak] 13 Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme(BA) 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. 15 For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.(BB) 17 Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.(BC)
Christian Slaves. 18 [al]Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse.(BD) 19 For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. 20 But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered[am] for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.(BE)
23 When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.(BG) 24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.(BH) 25 For you had gone astray like sheep,(BI) but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.[ao]
Chapter 3
Christian Spouses. 1 [ap]Likewise, you wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct 2 when they observe your reverent and chaste behavior.(BJ) 3 Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes,(BK) 4 but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God. 5 For this is also how the holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were subordinate to their husbands; 6 thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord.” You are her children when you do what is good and fear no intimidation.
7 (BL)Likewise, you husbands should live with your wives in understanding, showing honor to the weaker female sex, since we are joint heirs of the gift of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.[aq]
Christian Conduct.[ar] 8 Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. 9 Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.(BM) 10 For:
“Whoever would love life(BN)
and see good days
must keep the tongue from evil
and the lips from speaking deceit,
11 must turn from evil and do good,
seek peace and follow after it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears turned to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”
Christian Suffering.[as] 13 Now who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified with fear of them, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,(BO) 16 but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered[at] for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit.(BP) 19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,[au] 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.(BQ) 21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God[av] for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,(BR) 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.(BS)
Chapter 4
Christian Restraint.[aw] 1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude (for whoever suffers in the flesh has broken with sin), 2 so as not to spend what remains of one’s life in the flesh on human desires, but on the will of God. 3 For the time that has passed is sufficient for doing what the Gentiles like to do: living in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and wanton idolatry.(BT) 4 They are surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of profligacy, and they vilify you; 5 but they will give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.(BU) 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead[ax] that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God.
Christian Charity.[ay] 7 The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. 8 (BV)Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.[az] 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining.(BW) 10 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.(BX) 11 Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,(BY) to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.[ba]
IV. Advice to the Persecuted
Trial of Persecution.[bb] 12 Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you.(BZ) 13 But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly.(CA) 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.(CB) 15 But let no one among you be made to suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. 16 But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name. 17 For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of God?(CC)
18 “And if the righteous one is barely saved,
where will the godless and the sinner appear?”(CD)
19 As a result, those who suffer in accord with God’s will hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.
Chapter 5
Advice to Presbyters.[bc] 1 So I exhort the presbyters[bd] among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. 2 Tend the flock of God in your midst, [overseeing] not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.(CE) 3 Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. 4 (CF)And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.[be]
Advice to the Community.[bf] 5 Likewise, you younger members,[bg] be subject to the presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:
“God opposes the proud
but bestows favor on the humble.”(CG)
6 So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.(CH) 7 Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.(CI)
8 Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.(CJ) 9 Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. 10 The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.(CK) 11 To him be dominion forever. Amen.
V. Conclusion
12 I write you this briefly through Silvanus,[bh] whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it. 13 The chosen one[bi] at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.(CL)
I. Address
Chapter 1
Greeting. 1 [bj]Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of equal value to ours through the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ: 2 may grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge[bk] of God and of Jesus our Lord.
II. Exhortation to Christian Virtue
The Power of God’s Promise.[bl] 3 His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him(CM) who called us by his own glory and power.[bm] 4 Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.(CN) 5 [bn]For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge,(CO) 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with devotion, 7 devotion with mutual affection, mutual affection with love. 8 If these are yours and increase in abundance, they will keep you from being idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 (CP)Anyone who lacks them is blind and shortsighted, forgetful of the cleansing of his past sins. 10 [bo]Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never stumble. 11 For, in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
Apostolic Witness. 12 [bp]Therefore, I will always remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this “tent,”[bq] to stir you up by a reminder, 14 since I know that I will soon have to put it aside, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.(CQ) 15 I shall also make every effort to enable you always to remember these things after my departure.
16 We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming[br] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.(CR) 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father[bs] when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”(CS) 18 We[bt] ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 (CT)Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 [bu]Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, 21 for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God.
III. Condemnation of the False Teachers
Chapter 2
False Teachers.[bv] 1 There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.(CU) 2 Many will follow their licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled.(CV) 3 In their greed they will exploit you with fabrications, but from of old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction does not sleep.(CW)
Lessons from the Past. 4 [bw]For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus[bx] and handed them over to be kept for judgment;(CX) 5 [by]and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, together with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the godless world;(CY) 6 and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah [to destruction], reducing them to ashes, making them an example for the godless [people] of what is coming;(CZ) 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man oppressed by the licentious conduct of unprincipled people 8 (for day after day that righteous man living among them was tormented in his righteous soul at the lawless deeds that he saw and heard), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the devout from trial and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,(DA) 10 and especially those who follow the flesh with its depraved desire and show contempt for lordship.(DB)
False Teachers Denounced.[bz] Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to revile glorious beings,[ca] 11 [cb]whereas angels,(DC) despite their superior strength and power, do not bring a reviling judgment against them from the Lord. 12 But these people, like irrational animals born by nature for capture and destruction, revile things that they do not understand, and in their destruction they will also be destroyed,(DD) 13 suffering wrong[cc] as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel in their deceits while carousing with you.(DE) 14 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Abandoning the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of Balaam, the son of Bosor,[cd] who loved payment for wrongdoing,(DF) 16 but he received a rebuke for his own crime: a mute beast spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.(DG)
17 These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a gale; for them the gloom of darkness has been reserved.(DH) 18 For, talking empty bombast, they seduce with licentious desires of the flesh those who have barely escaped[ce] from people who live in error.(DI) 19 They promise them freedom, though they themselves are slaves of corruption, for a person is a slave of whatever overcomes him.(DJ) 20 For if they, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of [our] Lord and savior Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them, their last condition is worse than their first.(DK) 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment handed down[cf] to them.(DL) 22 [cg]What is expressed in the true proverb has happened to them,(DM) “The dog returns to its own vomit,” and “A bathed sow returns to wallowing in the mire.”
IV. The Delay of the Second Coming
Chapter 3
Denial of the Parousia. 1 [ch]This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; through them by way of reminder I am trying to stir up your sincere disposition, 2 to recall the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and savior through your apostles.(DN) 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days scoffers[ci] will come [to] scoff, living according to their own desires(DO) 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming?[cj] From the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation.”(DP) 5 They deliberately ignore the fact that the heavens existed of old and earth was formed out of water and through water[ck] by the word of God;(DQ) 6 through these the world that then existed was destroyed,(DR) deluged with water.[cl] 7 The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of destruction of the godless.(DS)
8 [cm]But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years[cn] and a thousand years like one day.(DT) 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.(DU) 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,[co] and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.(DV)
Exhortation to Preparedness.[cp] 11 Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought [you] to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,(DW) 12 [cq]waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,(DX) because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. 13 But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth[cr] in which righteousness dwells.(DY)
14 Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace. 15 And consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, as our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, also wrote to you,(DZ) 16 speaking of these things[cs] as he does in all his letters. In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.
V. Final Exhortation and Doxology[ct]
17 Therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, be on your guard not to be led into the error of the unprincipled and to fall from your own stability.(EA) 18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory now and to the day of eternity. [Amen.](EB)
I. Prologue
Chapter 1
The Word of Life[cu]
1 What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life—(EC)
2 for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to us—(ED)
3 what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.(EE)
4 We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.(EF)
II. God As Light
God Is Light. 5 Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light,[cv] and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth.(EG) 7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.(EH) 8 If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves,[cw] and the truth is not in us.(EI) 9 If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.(EJ) 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.(EK)
Chapter 2
Christ and His Commandments. 1 My children,[cx] I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.(EL) 2 He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.(EM) 3 The way we may be sure[cy] that we know him is to keep his commandments.(EN) 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.(EO) 5 But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:(EP) 6 whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived.
The New Commandment.[cz] 7 Beloved, I am writing no new commandment to you but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.(EQ) 8 And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you,[da] for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.(ER) 9 Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.(ES) 10 Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall.(ET) 11 Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Members of the Community.[db] 12 I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven(EU) for his name’s sake.[dc]
13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.(EV)
14 I write to you, children, because you know the Father.
I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, because you are strong and the word of God remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or the things of the world.[dd] If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.(EW) 16 For all that is in the world, sensual lust,[de] enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.(EX)
Antichrists. 18 Children, it is the last hour;[df] and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour.(EY) 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;[dg] if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number. 20 But you have the anointing that comes from the holy one,[dh] and you all have knowledge.(EZ) 21 I write to you not because you do not know the truth but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.(FA) 22 [di]Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.(FB) 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.(FC)
Life from God’s Anointing. 24 (FD)Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, then you will remain in the Son and in the Father.[dj] 25 And this is the promise that he made us: eternal life.(FE) 26 I write you these things about those who would deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him remains in you, so that you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not false; just as it taught you, remain in him.
Children of God. 28 [dk]And now, children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not be put to shame by him at his coming. 29 If you consider that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness is begotten by him.
Chapter 3
1 [dl]See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(FF) 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed[dm] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.(FG) 3 Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.(FH)
Avoiding Sin. 4 Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.[dn] 5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.(FI) 6 No one who remains in him sins; no one who sins has seen him or known him. 7 Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil.(FJ) 9 No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.[do] 10 In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.
III. Love for One Another
11 [dp]For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another,(FK) 12 unlike Cain who belonged to the evil one and slaughtered his brother. Why did he slaughter him? Because his own works were evil, and those of his brother righteous.(FL) 13 Do not be amazed, [then,] brothers, if the world hates you.(FM) 14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. Whoever does not love remains in death.(FN) 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.(FO) 16 The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.(FP) 17 If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?(FQ) 18 Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.(FR)
Confidence Before God.[dq] 19 [Now] this is how we shall know that we[dr] belong to the truth and reassure our hearts before him 20 in whatever our hearts condemn, for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 21 Beloved, if [our] hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God 22 and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.(FS) 23 And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.(FT) 24 Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.(FU)
Chapter 4
Testing the Spirits.[ds] 1 Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.(FV) 2 This is how you can know the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God,(FW) 3 and every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus[dt] does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.(FX) 4 You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They belong to the world; accordingly, their teaching belongs to the world, and the world listens to them.(FY) 6 We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.(FZ)
God’s Love and Christian Life. 7 [du]Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 8 Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.(GA) 10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.(GB) 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.(GC)
13 [dv]This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit. 14 Moreover, we have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world. 15 Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. 16 We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 17 In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world.(GD) 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God[dw] whom he has not seen.(GE) 21 This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.(GF)
Chapter 5
Faith Is Victory over the World. 1 [dx]Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves [also] the one begotten by him.(GG) 2 In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,(GH) 4 for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.(GI) 5 Who [indeed] is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?(GJ)
6 This is the one who came through water and blood,[dy] Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.(GK) 7 So there are three that testify, 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord.(GL) 9 If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son.(GM) 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.(GN) 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.(GO) 12 Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
IV. Epilogue[dz]
Prayer for Sinners. 13 I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.(GP) 14 And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.(GQ) 15 And if we know that he hears us in regard to whatever we ask, we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 16 If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a thing as deadly sin, about which I do not say that you should pray.(GR) 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.
18 We know that no one begotten by God sins; but the one begotten by God he protects, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one. 20 We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us discernment to know the one who is true. And we are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.(GS) 21 Children, be on your guard against idols.
1 [ea](GT)The Presbyter to the chosen Lady and to her children whom I love in truth—and not only I but also all who know the truth— 2 because of the truth that dwells in us and will be with us forever. 3 Grace, mercy, and peace[eb] will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son in truth and love.
4 I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children[ec] walking in the truth just as we were commanded by the Father.(GU) 5 But now, Lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing a new commandment but the one we have had from the beginning: let us love one another.(GV) 6 For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments;[ed] this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk.(GW)
7 (GX)Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.[ee] 8 Look to yourselves that you[ef] do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full recompense. 9 (GY)Anyone who is so “progressive”[eg] as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son. 10 [eh]If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him in your house or even greet him;(GZ) 11 for whoever greets him shares in his evil works.
12 [ei]Although I have much to write to you, I do not intend to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and to speak face to face so that our joy may be complete.(HA) 13 The children of your chosen sister[ej] send you greetings.
1 [ek]The Presbyter to the beloved Gaius whom I love in truth.(HB)
2 Beloved, I hope you are prospering in every respect and are in good health, just as your soul is prospering. 3 I rejoiced greatly when some of the brothers[el] came and testified to how truly you walk in the truth.(HC) 4 Nothing gives me greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.(HD)
5 Beloved, you are faithful in all you do[em] for the brothers, especially for strangers;(HE) 6 they have testified to your love before the church.(HF) Please help them in a way worthy of God to continue their journey.[en] 7 For they have set out for the sake of the Name[eo] and are accepting nothing from the pagans. 8 Therefore, we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to dominate,[ep] does not acknowledge us. 10 Therefore, if I come,[eq] I will draw attention to what he is doing, spreading evil nonsense about us. And not content with that, he will not receive the brothers, hindering those who wish to do so and expelling them from the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate evil[er] but imitate good. Whoever does what is good is of God; whoever does what is evil has never seen God.(HG) 12 Demetrius[es] receives a good report from all, even from the truth itself. We give our testimonial as well, and you know our testimony is true.(HH)
13 I have much to write to you, but I do not wish to write with pen and ink.(HI) 14 Instead, I hope to see you soon, when we can talk face to face. 15 Peace be with you. The friends greet you; greet the friends[et] there each by name.(HJ)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.