Modern Literal Version
1 John 1]



    {John's Good-news could have been written between 63-70 AD. For sure after the other three Good-news books were written.}


    {All of John's letters 1, 2, and 3 were written close together, 63-70 AD. God sealed up the New Testament with the writing of Revelation, and fulfilled all the New Testament and Old Testament prophecies with the destruction of Jerusalem. If any letters had been written after the destruction of Jerusalem, we see no reason for some of the wording contained in them and no mention of God's Judgment Day on the Jewish religion.}


     1:1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we saw and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 1:2 and the life was manifested and we have seen and are testifying and reporting to you* the everlasting life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us. 1:3 What we have seen and have heard, we report to you*, in order that you* may also have fellowship with us, but also our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ; 1:4 and we are writing these things to you*, in order that our joy may be fulfilled.



     1:5 And this is the message which we have heard from him and are reporting to you*, that God is light and there is no darkness in him– none at all. 1:6 If we should say that we have fellowship with him and then should walk in the darkness, we are lying to ourselves, and we are not practicing the truth. 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son is cleansing us from every sin. 1:8 If we should say that we have no sin, we are misleading ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous {F} to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1:10 If we should say that we have not sinned, we make* him a liar and his word is not in us.


     {Footnotes: 1Jn 1:9 is the abbreviated form of: 'in order that he might forgive us the sins in us and in order that he might cleanse us from...'}



[1 John 2]



     2:1 My little-children, these things I am writing to you* in order that you* may not sin. And if anyone should sin, we have a Helper* with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2:2 And he himself is the atonement concerning our sins, and not only concerning ours, but also concerning the whole world. 2:3 And we know in this that we have known him; if we are keeping his commandments. 2:4 The one who says, I have known him and is not keeping his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in this person; 2:5 but as for whoever keeps his word, truly in this person, the love* of God has been completed. We know in this that we are in him. 2:6 The one who says he abides in him, ought himself to walk thus; just-as that man walked.



     {The word 'abide' as used throughout the Letters of John also can be translated as 'dwell' or 'remain' (as in 2:19).}



     2:7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you*, but an old commandment which you* had {Or: were holding onto} from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you* had heard from the beginning. 2:8 Once again, I am writing a new commandment to you*, what is true in him and in you*, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is appearing already. 2:9 The one who says he is in the light and hates his brother, is in the darkness until now. 2:10 The one who loves* his brother abides in the light and there is no offense in him. 2:11 But he who hates his brother is in the darkness and is walking in the darkness and did not know where he is proceeding away to, because the darkness blinded his eyes.



     2:12 I am writing to you*, my little-children, because your* sins have been forgiven to you* through his name. 2:13 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. I am writing to you*, children, because you* have known the Father. 2:14 I wrote to you*, fathers, because you* have known the one who is from the beginning. I wrote to you*, young-men, because you* are strong and the word of God is abiding in you* and you* overcame the evil one.


     2:15 Do* not love* the world, nor the things which are in the world. If anyone loves* the world, the love* of the Father is not in him. 2:16 Because everything in the world: the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the self-importance of life, are not from the Father, but are from the world. 2:17 And the world is passing away and its lust, but he who is practicing the will of God abides forever.



     2:18 Children, it is the last hour and just-as you* have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have become known; hence we know that it is the last hour. 2:19 They went out away from us, but they were not from us; for* if they had been from us, they would have remained with us, but they went out, in order that they might be made manifest that all of them are not from us. 2:20 And you* have an anointing from the Holy One and you* know all things. 2:21 I did not write to you* because you* do not know the truth, but because you* know it and because every lie is not from the truth. 2:22 Who is the liar, if not the one who is denying that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who is denying the Father and the Son. 2:23 Everyone who is denying the Son, he does not have the Father. 2:24 Therefore let what you* have heard from the beginning abide in you*. If what you* have heard from the beginning abides in you*, you* will also be abiding in the Son and in the Father. 2:25 And this is the promise which he promised to us– everlasting life. 2:26 I wrote to you* these things concerning those who are misleading you*. 2:27 And as for you*, the anointing which you* received from him abides in you* and you* have no need that* anyone should teach you*, but as the same anointing teaches you* concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just-as it taught you*, you* will be abiding in him. 2:28 And now, abide* in him, my little-children; in order that we should have boldness whenever he is manifested, and we should not be shamed away from him in his presence. 2:29 If you* know that he is righteous, you* also know that everyone who is practicing righteousness has been born from him.



[1 John 3]



     3:1 Behold* what sort of love* the Father has given to us, in order that we might be called children of God. Because of this, the world does not know you*, because it did not know him. 3:2 Beloved, we are now the children of God and it was not yet manifested what we will be. But we know that, if he is manifested, we will be similar to him, because we will be seeing him just-as he is. 3:3 And everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, just-as that man is pure. 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 3:5 And you* know that, that man was manifested in order that he might take away our sins, and in him is no sin. {Isa 53:4} 3:6 Everyone who abides in him is not sinning. Everyone who is sinning has not seen him, nor has known him. 3:7 Let no one mislead you*, my little-children. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just-as that man is righteous. 3:8 He who is practicing sin is from the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning, to this end the Son of God was manifested, in order that he might tear-down the works of the devil. 3:9 Everyone who has been born from God does not practice sin, because his seed abides in him and he is not able to practice sin, because he has been born from God. 3:10 The children of God and the children of the devil are apparent in this, everyone who does not practice righteousness is not from God and he who does not love* his brother. 3:11 Because this is the message which you* have heard from the beginning, in order that we should love* one another; 3:12 not like Cain who was from the evil one and slaughtered his brother. And he slaughtered him because of what? Because his works were evil but the works of his brother were righteous. {Gen 4:8}



     3:13 Do* not marvel my brethren, if the world hates you*. 3:14 We know that we have stepped out of death into life, because we love* the brethren. He who does not love* his brother is abiding in death. 3:15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer and you* know that no murderer has everlasting life abiding in himself. 3:16 We have known love* in this, because that man laid down his life on our behalf and we ought to lay down our lives on behalf of the brethren. 3:17 But whoever has the world's good life and should view his brother having need and then should lock his heart* from him, how does the love* of God abide in him? 3:18 My little-children, do not love* in word, nor with the tongue, but in work and in truth. 3:19 And we know in this that we are from the truth and will persuade our hearts before him; 3:20 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he knows all things. 3:21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have boldness toward God; 3:22 and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we are keeping his commandments and are practicing the things which are pleasing in his sight. 3:23 And this is his commandment, in order that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and should love* one another, just-as he gave commandment to us. 3:24 And he who is keeping his commandments abides in him and he in him. And we know in this that he abides in us, from the Spirit whom he gave us.



[1 John 4]



     4:1 Beloved, do* not believe every spirit, but test* the spirits, to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 4:2 The Spirit of God is known in this. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, is not from God and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you* have heard, that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4:4 You* are from God, my little-children and overcame them, because greater is he who is in you* than he who is in the world. 4:5 They are from the world; because of this they speak as from the world and the world hears them. 4:6 We are from God. He who knows God, hears us; he who is not from God does not hear us. We know from this: {F} the spirit of truth, and the spirit of deceit.



     4:7 Beloved, we should love* one another, because love* is from God, and everyone who loves* has been born from God and knows God. 4:8 He who does not love*, has not known God, because God is love*. 4:9 In this, the love* of God was manifested in us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world in order that we might live through him. 4:10 In this is love*, not that we loved* God, but that he loved* us and sent his Son to be the atonement concerning our sins. 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved* us, we also ought to love* one another. 4:12 No one has seen God at anytime; if we love* one another, God is abiding in us and his love* is being completed in us. 4:13 We know in this that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given to us from his Spirit. 4:14 And we have seen and are testifying that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 4:15 Whoever confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God. 4:16 And we have known and have believed the love* which God has in us. God is love*, and he who abides in love* abides in God and God abides in him. 4:17 In this, love* has been completed with us, in order that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because just-as that man is complete, we are also complete in this world. 4:18 There is no fear in love*, but mature love* casts the fear outward, because the fear has punishment, and he who fears has not been matured in love*. 4:19 We love* him, because he loved* us first. 4:20 If anyone say, I love* God and then should hate his brother, he is a liar; for* he who does not love* his brother, whom he has seen, how is he able to love* God, whom he has not seen? 4:21 And we have this commandment from him, in order that he who loves* God should also love* his brother.



     {Footnotes: 1Jn 4:6, or: the Spirit of the Truth and the Spirit of the Deceit. A contrast, God vs. the Adversary.}



[1 John 5]



     5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God and everyone who loves* the one who fathered us, also loves* the one who has been born from him. 5:2 We know in this that we love* the children of God, whenever we love* God and whenever we keep his commandments. 5:3 For* this is the love* of God, in order that we should keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. 5:4 Because everyone who has been born from God is overcoming the world and this is the victory, our faith, that overcame the world. 5:5 Who is he who overcomes the world, if not he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 5:6 This is he who came through water and blood– Jesus Christ; not only in the water, but in the water and in the blood. And it is the Spirit who is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth. 5:7 Because there are three who are testifying, 5:8 {T} the Spirit and the water and the blood and the three are into the one {i.e. agree}. 5:9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, because the testimony of God is this: that he has testified concerning his Son. 5:10 He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God, has made* him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has testified concerning his Son. 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God gave to us everlasting life and this life is in his Son. 5:12 He who has the Son, has life; he who does not have the Son of God, does not have the life.



     5:13 I wrote these things to you* who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you* may know that you* have everlasting life, and in order that you* may believe in the name of the Son of God. 5:14 And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us; 5:15 and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from him.


     5:16 If anyone sees his brother sinning {F} a sin not to death, he will ask and God will be giving him life for those who are not sinning to death. There is {F} a sin to death. I do not say that* he should ask concerning that. 5:17 All unrighteousness is sin and there is sin not leading to death.


     {Footnotes: 1Jn 5:16a, or: a sin not leading to death. 1Jn 5:16b- Or: a sin leading to death.}


     5:18 We know that everyone who has been born from God is not sinning, but he who was born from God guards himself and the evil one does not touch him. 5:19 We know that we are from God and the whole world lays in the evil one. 5:20 Now we know that the Son of God has come and has given us perception, in order that we might know the true one and we are in the true one, that is, in his son, Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and the everlasting life. 5:21 Guard* yourselves from idols, my little-children. Amen.




{{ Introduction to 2 John 67-70 AD



    The author describes himself as 'the elder.' Maybe to describe his age or his position as part of the congregation's leadership. The false teachers in verse 7 are the same as those referred to in 1 John. John wants to forewarn his readers against the infiltration of error, and the apostle wants his readers to have Christian hospitality. However, John still must warn against receiving and aiding any false teacher (2 John 10, 11). Do not even greet them.}}



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Modern Literal Version Preface & Appendix , copyright 1999, 2014 by G. Allen Walker for the MLV New Testament Committee.
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