Bible in 90 Days
Gentle Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct let him show his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, not hypocritical. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in shalom by those who make shalom.[a]
Resist Pride and Evil
4 Where do quarrels and conflicts among you come from? Don’t they come from this, namely your passions that battle within your body parts? 2 You crave and have not. You murder and you envy, yet you cannot get it. You fight and you wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives so you may spend it on your passions. 4 You adulteresses![b] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that in vain the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit which He made to dwell in us”? 6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore it says,
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[c]
7 Therefore submit to God. But 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! [d] 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of Adonai, and He shall lift you up. [e] 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brethren. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the Torah and judges the Torah. But if you judge the Torah, you are not a doer of the Torah, but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge[f]—the One who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you who judges your neighbor?
If the Lord Wills, We Will
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes. [g] 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it—for him it is sin.
Rotten Riches
5 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your clothes have become moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and your silver have rusted and their rust will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the workers who mowed your fields—which you kept back by fraud—are crying out against you. And the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. [h] 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts for a day of slaughter. [i] 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous person[j]—he does not resist you.
Be Patient for His Coming
7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it until it receives the early and late rain. [k] 8 You also be patient. Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the doors. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 Behold, we consider blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job,[l] and you have seen the outcome of Adonai—that Adonai is full of compassion and mercy.[m]
12 But above all, my dear brothers and sisters, 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”—so that you may not fall under judgment.
Praying for the Sick
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.[n] Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of Messiah’s community, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. And it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. [o] 18 He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brothers and sisters, if any among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one who turns a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.[p]
Greetings
1 Peter, an emissary of Messiah Yeshua,
To the sojourners of the Diaspora in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia—chosen 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, set apart by the Ruach for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood[q] of Yeshua the Messiah:
May grace and shalom be multiplied to you.
A Message of Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! In His great mercy He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua from the dead. 4 An incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance has been reserved in heaven for you. 5 By trusting, you are being protected by God’s power for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 You rejoice in this greatly, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials. 7 These trials are so that the true metal[r] of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. And even though you don’t see Him now, you trust Him and are filled with a joy that is glorious beyond words, 9 receiving the outcome of your faith—the salvation of your souls. 10 The prophets, who spoke about the grace that was to be yours, searched for this salvation and investigated carefully. 11 They were trying to find out the time and circumstances the Ruach of Messiah within them was indicating, when predicting the sufferings in store for Messiah[s] and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were providing these messages not to themselves but to you. These messages have now been announced to you through those who proclaimed the Good News to you by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, sent from heaven. Even angels long to catch a glimpse of these things.
A Call to Be Holy
13 So brace your minds for action. Keep your balance. And set your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Yeshua the Messiah. 14 Like obedient children, do not be shaped by the cravings you had formerly in your ignorance. 15 Instead, just like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in everything you do. 16 For it is written,
“Kedoshim you shall be, for I am kadosh.”[t]
17 If you call on Him as Father—the One who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds—then live out the time of sojourning in reverent fear.
18 You know that you were redeemed from the futile way of life handed down from your ancestors—not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with precious blood like that of a lamb without defect or spot, the blood of Messiah. 20 He was chosen before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through Him you are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth,[u] leading to sincere brotherly love, love one another fervently from a pure heart. 23 You have been born again—not from perishable seed but imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All humanity is like grass,
And all its glory like a wildflower.
The grass withers, and the flower falls off,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”[v]
And this is the word that was proclaimed as Good News to you.
Living Stones
2 So get rid of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all lashon ha-ra. 2 As newborn babes, long for pure spiritual milk,[w] so that by it you may grow toward salvation— 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. [x] 4 As you come to Him, a living stone[y] rejected by men but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house—a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Messiah Yeshua. 6 For it says in Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone,
a chosen, precious cornerstone.
Whoever trusts in Him
will never be put to shame.”[z]
7 Now the value is for you who keep trusting; but for those who do not trust,
“The stone which the builders rejected—
this One has become the chief cornerstone,”[aa]
8 and
“a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”[ab]
They stumble because they are disobeying the word—to this they were also appointed. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.[ac]
10 Once you were “not a people,”
but now you are “God’s people.”
You were shown “no mercy,”
but now you have been shown “mercy.”[ad]
11 Loved ones, I urge you as strangers and sojourners to keep away from the fleshly cravings that war against the soul. 12 Keep your conduct honorable among the Gentiles. Then while they speak against you as evildoers, they may—from noticing your good deeds—glorify God in the day of visitation.
Respect and Order
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit yourselves to every human authority—whether to a king as supreme, 14 or to governors sent by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is God’s will, that you silence the ignorance of foolish men by doing good. 16 Live as free people, but not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil. Rather, live as God’s slaves. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
18 Slaves, with all respect submit yourselves to your masters—not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. 19 For this finds favor if, for the sake of conscience toward God, someone endures grief from suffering undeservedly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and get a beating, you endure? But if you endure when you do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you were called to this, because Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in His footsteps:
22 “He committed no sin,
nor was any deceit found in His mouth.”[ae]
23 When He was abused, He did not return the abuse.[af] While suffering, He made no threats. Instead, He kept entrusting Himself to the One who judges righteously. 24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, removed from sins, might live for righteousness. “By His wounds you were healed.”[ag]
25 For you like sheep were going astray,[ah]
but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
3 Likewise, wives, be submitted to your own husbands so that—even if some do not obey the message—by the wives’ conduct, without a word they may be won over 2 as they observe your pure, reverent conduct. [ai] 3 Don’t let your beauty[aj] be external—braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. [ak] 4 Instead let it be in the hidden person of the heart, with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is the way the holy women, who put their hope in God, used to beautify themselves long ago—being submitted to their own husbands 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.[al] You have become her daughters by doing what is good and not fearing intimidation. 7 In the same way, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way. Though they are weaker partners, honor them as equal heirs of the grace of life. In this way, your prayers will not be hindered.
Suffering for Doing Good
8 Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, tenderhearted, humble-minded. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult, but give a blessing instead—it is for this reason you were called, so that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For,
“The one who loves life,
wanting to see good days,
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 He must turn away from evil and do good.
He must seek shalom and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of Adonai are on the righteous
and His ears open to their prayer,
but the face of Adonai is against those who do evil.”[am]
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not be afraid or worry about their threats. [an] 15 Instead sanctify Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, 16 yet with humility and reverence—keeping a clear conscience so that, whatever you are accused of, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Messiah may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good (if it is God’s will) than for doing evil.
18 For Messiah once suffered for sins also—the righteous for the unrighteous[ao]—in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Ruach. 19 Through the Ruach He also went and preached to the spirits in prison. 20 Long ago they disobeyed while God kept waiting patiently, in the days of Noah as the ark was being built. In that ark a few (that is, eight souls) were brought safely through water. 21 Corresponding to that, immersion now brings you to safety—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but a pledge to God of a good conscience—through the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua. 22 He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels and authorities and powers subjected to Him.
How to Live in the Last Days
4 Therefore, since Messiah suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same attitude. For the one who has suffered in the flesh is finished with sin. 2 As a result, he lives the rest of his time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for God’s will. 3 For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to carry out the desire of the pagans—living in indecency, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, wild parties, and lawless idolatries. 4 They are surprised that you do not run with them into the same riot of recklessness, and they vilify you. 5 But they will have to give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this was the reason the Good News was proclaimed even to those now dead, so that though they are judged in the flesh before humans, they might live in the Ruach before God.
7 Now the end of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for prayer. 8 Above all, keep your love for one another constant, for “love covers a multitude of sins.” [ap] 9 Be hospitable one to another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of the many-sided grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be as one speaking the utterances of God. Whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies. So in all things may God be glorified through Messiah Yeshua—all glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen.
12 Loved ones, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal taking place among you to test you—as though something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, rejoice insofar as you share in the sufferings of Messiah, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be glad. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Messiah,[aq] you are fortunate, for the Spirit of glory[ar] and of God rests on you. 15 For let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or as a troublemaker. 16 But if anyone suffers for following Messiah,[as] let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the house of God.[at] If judgment begins with us first, what will be the end for those who disobey the Good News of God?
18 Now, “if it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what shall become of the ungodly and the sinner?”[au]
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will—let them trust their souls to a faithful Creator while continuing to do good.
Shepherds Lead by Example
5 Therefore I appeal to the elders among you—as a fellow elder and witness of Messiah’s sufferings, and a partaker also of the glory about to be revealed— 2 shepherd God’s flock among you. Watch over it not under compulsion but willingly before God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. 3 Don’t lord it over[av] those apportioned to you, but become examples to the flock. 4 When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[aw]
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up at the appropriate time. 7 Cast all your worries on Him,[ax] for He cares for you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. 9 Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. 10 After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace—who has called you into His eternal glory in Messiah—will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 All power to Him forever![ay] Amen.
Final Greetings
12 Through Silvanus,[az] whom I consider our faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 Messiah’s community in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings. So does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Shalom to you all who are in Messiah. Amen.
Greetings
1 Simon Peter, a slave and emissary of Messiah Yeshua,
To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua:
2 May grace and shalom be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Yeshua our Lord.
Qualities for Living Forever
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue. 4 Through these things He has given us His precious and magnificent promises,[ba] so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, since you have escaped the corruption that evil desires have brought into the world. 5 Now for this very reason, making every effort, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, patience; and to patience, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly love; and to brotherly love, love. [bb] 8 For if these qualities are in you and increasing, they keep you from becoming idle and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 9 But anyone who lacks these qualities is blind—nearsighted because he has forgotten his cleansing from past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make all the more effort to make your calling and election certain—for if you keep doing these things, you will never stumble. 11 For in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Messiah Yeshua, will be richly provided for you.
12 Therefore I intend to keep reminding you of these things, even though you know them and are well-grounded in the truth that you have. 13 I think it right to stir you up with a reminder, as long as I remain alive in this “tent” of a body[bc]— 14 knowing that my death[bd] is soon, as our Lord Yeshua the Messiah has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort for you to always remember these things even after my departure.
Distinguishing True Testimony from Tales
16 For we did not follow cleverly concocted tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory: “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased!” [be] 18 And we ourselves heard this voice come out of heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain. [bf] 19 Furthermore, we have the reliable prophetic word. You do well by paying attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [bg] 20 Above all understand this: no prophecy of Scripture comes about from a person’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever brought forth by human will; rather, people spoke from God as they were moved by the Ruach ha-Kodesh.[bh]
False Teachers Condemned
2 But false prophets also arose among the people,[bi] just as there will also be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies. They will even deny the Master who bought them[bj]—bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result the way of the truth will be maligned. 3 In their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
4 For God did not spare angels when they sinned, but threw them into Sheol.[bk] He put them in chains of gloomy darkness, to be held until the judgment. [bl] 5 He did not spare the ancient world. He preserved only Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, along with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. 6 He devastated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes[bm]—making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly. 7 He rescued Lot, a righteous man deeply troubled by the shameless immorality of the wicked. [bn] 8 (For that righteous man, while living among them, was tormented in his righteous soul day after day by lawless deeds he saw and heard.) 9 Therefore the Lord certainly knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and how to keep the unrighteous being punished until the Day of Judgment— 10 especially those who follow after the flesh in its unclean desires and who despise the Lord’s authority.[bo]
Brazen and arrogant, these people do not tremble while slandering glorious beings; 11 yet even angels, though stronger and more powerful, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. [bp] 12 But these people are like irrational animals—creatures of instinct born to be captured and killed. They malign what they don’t understand, and in their destruction they will be utterly destroyed. 13 They will be paid back for what they have done—evil for evil.[bq] They consider carousing in broad daylight a pleasure. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures while feasting together with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery that never stop sinning, enticing unstable souls. They have hearts trained in greed—a cursed brood! 15 They have abandoned the straight way. They have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor,[br] who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he received a rebuke for his own wrongdoing. A dumb donkey spoke with a man’s voice and put a stop to the prophet’s madness.[bs]
17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. The gloom of utter darkness has been reserved for them. [bt] 18 For by mouthing grandiosities that amount to nothing, they entice in sensual fleshly passions those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption—for a person is a slave to whatever has overcome him. 20 For if—after escaping the world’s pollutions through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah—they again become entangled in these things and are overcome, the end for them has become worse than the beginning. 21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after learning about it, to turn back from the holy commandment passed on to them. [bu] 22 What has happened to them confirms the truth of the proverb, “A dog returns to its vomit,”[bv] and “A scrubbed pig heads right back into the mud.”
The Day of the Lord Is Coming
3 Loved ones, this is now the second letter that I am writing to you. In both I am trying to stir you up by way of a reminder to wholesome thinking— 2 to remember the words previously proclaimed by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior through your emissaries. [bw] 3 First of all, understand that in the last days, scoffers will come scoffing, following after their own desires [bx] 4 and saying, “Where is this promise of His coming?[by] Ever since the fathers died,[bz] everything goes on just as it has from the beginning of creation.” 5 For in holding to this idea, it escapes their notice that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God. [ca] 6 Through these, the world of that time was destroyed by being flooded with water. [cb] 7 But by the same word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire—kept until the Day of Judgment and the destruction of ungodly people.[cc]
8 But don’t forget this one thing, loved ones, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. [cd] 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some consider slowness.[ce] Rather, He is being patient toward you—not wanting anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.[cf] On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything done on it shall be exposed. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Live your lives in holiness and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. In that day the heavens will be dissolved by fire, and the elements will melt in the intense heat. [cg] 13 But in keeping with His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.[ch]
Final Advice
14 Therefore, loved ones, while you are looking for these things, make every effort to be found in shalom, spotless and blameless before Him. 15 Bear in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation—just as our dearly loved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom given to him. 16 He speaks about these matters in all of his letters. Some things in them are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist (as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures)—to their own destruction.
17 Since you already know all this, loved ones, be on your guard so that you are not led astray by the error of the lawless and lose your sure footing. 18 Instead, keep growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity! Amen.
God’s Manifested Word of Life
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. 3 What we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us. Indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Yeshua the Messiah. 4 These things we write so our joy may be full.
God’s Light Dispels Darkness
5 Now this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you—that God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with Him and keep walking in the darkness, we are lying and do not practice the truth. [ci] 7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of His Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin.
Cleansing Begins with Confessing
8 If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [cj] 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
Yeshua Atoned for Our Sin
2 My children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Intercessor with the Father—the righteous Messiah Yeshua. 2 He is the atonement for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world.[ck]
Loving God Means Obedience
3 Now we know that we have come to know Him by this—if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God is truly made perfect. We know that we are in Him by this— 6 whoever claims to abide in Him must walk just as He walked.
Haters Stumble in Darkness
7 Loved ones, I am not writing a new commandment for you, but an old commandment—one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing a new commandment for you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is fading and the true light is already shining.
9 The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates his brother[cl] is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has made his eyes blind.
Fellowship with God Conquers Evil
12 I am writing to you, children,
because your sins have been forgiven
on account of His name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known the One
who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
14 I have written to you, children,
because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have known the One
who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
because you are strong,
the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.
The Fleeting World Opposes Eternal God
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 everything in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes,[cm] and the boasting of life—is not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world is passing away along with its desire, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
Anointed People Cling to the Anointed One
18 Children, it is the last hour. Just as you heard that the anti-messiah is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have come—by this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They left us, but they didn’t really belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they left us so it became clear that none of them belongs to us.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 21 I have not written you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
Father and Son Come as One
22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Yeshua is the Messiah? This one is the anti-messiah—the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; the one who acknowledges the Son also has the Father.
Live in the Anointed One
24 As for you, let what you heard from the beginning remain in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also will continue to live in the Son and in the Father. 25 Now this is the promise that He Himself has promised us—eternal life. 26 I have written you these things about those who are trying to mislead you. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things—and it is true and not a lie—and just as it has taught you, abide in Him. 28 And now, children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we will have confidence and not be ashamed in His presence at His coming.
Righteous Children Treasure His Purity
29 If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who does what is right is born of Him.
3 See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children—and so we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. 2 Loved ones, now we are God’s children; and it has not yet been revealed what we will be. But we do know that when it’s revealed, we shall be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness—indeed, sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that Yeshua appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who sins has seen Him or known Him. 7 Children, let no one mislead you! The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Yeshua is righteous. 8 The one who practices sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. Ben-Elohim appeared for this purpose—to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God practices sin, because God’s seed remains in him. He cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Loving Children Emulate His Actions
10 It is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil by this—anyone who does not act righteously or love his brother is not of God. 11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning—we should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, while his brother’s were righteous. [cn] 13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer—and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 We have come to know love by this—Yeshua laid down His life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 But if someone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him[co], how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Children, let us not love with word or talk, but in deed and truth!
19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and set our heart at rest before Him 20 whenever our heart condemns us. For God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Loved ones, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight. 23 Now this is His commandment—that we should believe in the name of His Son, Yeshua the Messiah, and love one another, just as He commanded us. 24 The one who keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. We know that He abides in us by this—by the Spirit He has given us.
Yeshua, the Ruach of Truth
4 Loved ones, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. [cp] 2 You know the Ruach Elohim by this—every spirit that acknowledges that Messiah Yeshua has come in human flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God. This is the spirit of the anti-messiah, which you have heard is coming and now is already in the world. 4 You are from God, children, and you have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world, so they speak from the world and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God; whoever knows God listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
God’s Life-Giving Spirit of Love
7 Loved ones, let us love one another, for love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 The love of God was revealed among us by this—that God sent His one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 This is love—not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atonement for our sins.
11 Loved ones, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God.[cq] If we love one another, God abides in us and His love is made perfect in us. 13 We know that we abide in Him and He in us by this—because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 We have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Yeshua is Ben-Elohim, God abides in him and he abides in God. 16 So we have come to know and trust in the love that God has for us. God is love. Now whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God’s Fulfilling Love
17 In this way, love is made perfect among us, so that we should have boldness on the Day of Judgment. For just as He is, so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and the one who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.
Love God—Love God’s Family
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that the one who loves God should also love his brother.[cr]
5 Everyone who believes that Yeshua is the Messiah is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves the one born of Him.
Love God—Live God’s Word
2 We know that we love God’s children by this—when we love God and obey His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God—that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. And the victory that has overcome the world is this—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world, if not the one who believes that Yeshua is Ben-Elohim?
Believe God’s Own Testimony of Yeshua
6 Messiah Yeshua is the One who came by water and blood—not by water only, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the One who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify— 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one. [cs] 9 If we accept men’s testimony, God’s testimony is greater—for this it is the testimony that God has given about His Son. 10 The one who trusts in Ben-Elohim has the testimony in himself; the one who does not trust in God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given about His Son. 11 And the testimony is this—that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 The one who has the Son has life; the one who does not have Ben-Elohim does not have life.
Walk Now in Eternal Privileges
13 I wrote these things to you who believe in the name of Ben-Elohim, so you may know that you have eternal life. 14 Now this is the confidence we have before Him—that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have the requests we have asked from Him. 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he should ask, and God will give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death—I am not saying you should ask about that. [ct] 17 All unrighteousness is sin, but there is sin not leading to death.
18 We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; rather, the One born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot touch him. 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that Ben-Elohim has come and given us insight, so that we may know Him who is true—and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This One is the true God and eternal life.
21 Children, guard yourselves from idols.[cu]
God’s Truth and Blessings Abide Forever
1 The elder.
To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth—and not I alone, but also all who have come to know the truth— 2 because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3 Grace, mercy, and shalom be with us, from God the Father and from Messiah Yeshua, the Father’s Son, in truth and love!
Lovingly Walk in God’s Truth
4 I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we received as a commandment from the Father. 5 Now I ask you, dear lady, that we love one another. It is not as though I am writing you a new command, but the one we have had from the beginning. [cv] 6 Now this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the commandment—just as you heard from the beginning—that you walk in love.
Protect Against Messianic Pretenders
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world—those who do not acknowledge Yeshua as Messiah coming in human flesh. This one is a deceiver and the anti-messiah. 8 Watch yourselves, so you do not lose what we have worked for but receive a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in Messiah’s teaching does not have God. Anyone who remains in this teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not welcome him into your home or even give him a greeting. 11 For the one greeting him shares in his evil deeds.
Brotherly Fellowship Is Joyful
12 Although I have much to write to you, I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. But I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that our joy may be full.
13 The children of your chosen sister send you greetings.[cw]
The Joys of Walking Out the Truth
1 The elder.
To Gaius the loved one, whom I love in truth:
2 Loved ones, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 3 For I was overjoyed when some brethren came and testified of the truth in you—how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this—to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Support Faithful Kingdom Truth Tellers
5 Loved ones, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brethren and especially for strangers. [cx] 6 They have testified to your love before Messiah’s community. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For on behalf of the Name they went out, accepting nothing from the pagans. 8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so we might become co-workers in the truth.
The Lust for Power Condemned
9 I wrote something to Messiah’s community, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t welcome us. 10 So if I do come, I will call attention to what he is doing—slandering us with wicked words. Not even content with that, he refuses to welcome the brethren, and even forbids those who want to do so—throwing them out of the community!
Do Good Like God Does
11 Loved ones, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
Virtue Is Honorable
12 Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone, even from the truth itself. We also vouch for him—and you know that our testimony is true.
Fellowship Is Desirable
13 I have much to write you, but I don’t want to write to you with ink and pen. 14 But I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.
15 Shalom aleichem. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.