¹Every one who is believing that Jesus is the Christ, of God he hath been begotten, and every one who is loving Him who did beget, doth love also him who is begotten of Him:

¹Kila mtu anayeamini kwamba Yesu ni Kristo, huyo ni mtoto wa Mungu; na, anayempenda mzazi humpenda pia mtoto wa huyo mzazi.

²in this we know that we love the children of God, when we may love God, and His commands may keep;

²Hivi ndivyo tunavyojua kwamba tunawapenda watoto wa Mungu: Kwa kumpenda Mungu na kuzitii amri zake;

³for this is the love of God, that His commands we may keep, and His commands are not burdensome;

³maana kumpenda Mungu ni kuzitii amri zake. Na, amri zake si ngumu,

⁴because every one who is begotten of God doth overcome the world, and this is the victory that did overcome the world — our faith;

⁴maana kila aliye mtoto wa Mungu anaweza kuushinda ulimwengu. Hivi ndivyo tunavyoushinda ulimwengu: kwa imani yetu.

⁵who is he who is overcoming the world, if not he who is believing that Jesus is the Son of God?

⁵Nani, basi, awezaye kuushinda ulimwengu? Ni yule anayeamini kwamba Yesu ni Mwana wa Mungu.

⁶This one is he who did come through water and blood — Jesus the Christ, not in the water only, but in the water and the blood; and the Spirit it is that is testifying, because the Spirit is the truth,

⁶Yesu Kristo ndiye aliyekuja kwa maji ya ubatizo wake na kwa damu ya kifo chake. Hakuja kwa maji tu, bali kwa maji na kwa damu. Naye Roho anashuhudia kwamba ni kweli, kwani Roho ni ukweli.

⁷because three are who are testifying [in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these — the three — are one;

⁷Basi, wako mashahidi watatu:

⁸and three are who are testifying in the earth], the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are into the one.

⁸Roho, maji na damu; na ushahidi wa hawa watatu waafikiana.

⁹If the testimony of men we receive, the testimony of God is greater, because this is the testimony of God that He hath testified concerning His Son.

⁹Ikiwa twaukubali ushahidi wa binadamu, ushahidi wa Mungu una uzito zaidi; na huu ndio ushahidi alioutoa Mungu mwenyewe juu ya Mwanae.

¹⁰He who is believing in the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself; he who is not believing God, a liar hath made Him, because he hath not believed in the testimony that God hath testified concerning His Son;

¹⁰Anayemwamini mwana wa Mungu anao ushahidi huo ndani yake; lakini asiyemwamini Mungu, anamfanya yeye kuwa mwongo, maana hakuamini ushahidi alioutoa Mungu juu ya Mwanae.

¹¹and this is the testimony, that life age-during did God give to us, and this — the life — is in His Son;

¹¹Na, ushahidi wenyewe ndio huu: Mungu alitupatia uzima wa milele, na uzima huo uko kwa Bwana.

¹²he who is having the Son, hath the life; he who is not having the Son of God — the life he hath not.

¹²Yeyote, aliye na Mwana wa Mungu anao uzima huo; asiye na Mwana wa Mungu, hana uzima.

¹³These things I did write to you who are believing in the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that life ye have age-during, and that ye may believe in the name of the Son of God.

¹³Nawaandikieni mpate kujua kwamba mnao uzima wa milele ninyi mnaoamini kwa jina la Mwana wa Mungu.

¹⁴And this is the boldness that we have toward Him, that if anything we may ask according to his will, He doth hear us,

¹⁴Na sisi tuko thabiti mbele ya Mungu kwani tuna hakika kwamba tukimwomba chochote kadiri ya mapenzi yake, yeye hutusikiliza.

¹⁵and if we have known that He doth hear us, whatever we may ask, we have known that we have the requests that we have requested from Him.

¹⁵Yeye hutusikiliza kila tunapomwomba; na kwa vile tunajua kwamba yeye hutusikiliza kila tunapomwomba, twajua pia kwamba atupatia yote tunayomwomba.

¹⁶If any one may see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give to him life to those sinning not unto death; there is sin to death, not concerning it do I speak that he may beseech;

¹⁶Mtu akimwona ndugu yake ametenda dhambi isiyompeleka kwenye kifo anapaswa kumwombea kwa Mungu, naye Mungu atampatia uzima. Nasema jambo hili kuhusu wale waliotenda dhambi ambazo si za kifo. Lakini ipo dhambi yenye kumpeleka mtu kwenye kifo nami sisemi kwamba mnapaswa kumwomba Mungu kwa ajili ya hiyo.

¹⁷all unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not unto death.

¹⁷Kila tendo lisilo adilifu ni dhambi, lakini kuna dhambi isiyompeleka mtu kwenye kifo.

¹⁸We have known that every one who hath been begotten of God doth not sin, but he who was begotten of God doth keep himself, and the evil one doth not touch him;

¹⁸Tunajua kwamba kila aliye mtoto wa Mungu hatendi dhambi, kwa sababu Mwana wa Mungu humlinda salama, na yule Mwovu hawezi kumdhuru.

¹⁹we have known that of God we are, and the whole world in the evil doth lie;

¹⁹Tunajua kwamba sisi ni wake Mungu ingawa ulimwengu wote unatawaliwa na yule Mwovu.

²⁰and we have known that the Son of God is come, and hath given us a mind, that we may know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ; this one is the true God and the life age-during!

²⁰Twajua pia kwamba Mwana wa Mungu amekuja, akatupa elimu ili tumjue Mungu wa kweli; tuishi katika muungano na Mungu wa kweli--katika muungano na Mwanae, Yesu Kristo. Huyu ndiye Mungu wa kweli, na huu ndio uzima wa milele.

²¹Little children, guard yourselves from the idols! Amen.

²¹Watoto wangu, epukaneni na sanamu za miungu.