¹Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

¹Wapenzi wangu, msimsadiki kila mtu asemaye kwamba ana Roho wa Mungu, bali chunguzeni kwa makini kama huyo mtu anaongozwa na Roho wa Mungu au la, Maana manabii wengi wa uongo wamezuka ulimwenguni.

²Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

²Hii ndiyo njia ya kujua kama mtu anaongozwa na Roho wa Mungu: Kila anayekiri kwamba Kristo alikuja, akawa binadamu, mtu huyo anaye Roho wa Mungu.

³and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the [spirit] of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already.

³Lakini mtu yeyote asiyemkiri Kristo hivyo, hana huyo Roho atokaye kwa Mungu. Mtu huyo ana roho ambaye ni wa Adui wa Kristo; nanyi mlikwisha sikia kwamba anakuja, na sasa tayari amekwisha wasili ulimwenguni!

⁴Ye are of God, [my] little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

⁴Lakini ninyi, watoto, ni wake Mungu na mmekwisha washinda hao manabii wa uongo; maana Roho aliye ndani yenu ana nguvu zaidi kuliko roho aliye ndani ya hao walio wa ulimwengu.

⁵They are of the world: therefore speak they [as] of the world, and the world heareth them.

⁵Wao husema mambo ya ulimwengu, nao ulimwengu huwasikiliza kwani wao ni wa ulimwengu.

⁶We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he who is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

⁶Lakini sisi ni wake Mungu. Mtu anayemjua Mungu hutusikiliza, mtu asiye wa Mungu hatusikilizi. Basi, kwa njia hiyo tunaweza kutambua tofauti kati ya Roho wa ukweli na roho wa uongo.

⁷Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.

⁷Wapenzi wangu, tupendane, maana upendo hutoka kwa Mungu. Kila mtu aliye na upendo ni mtoto wa Mungu, na anamjua Mungu.

⁸He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

⁸Mtu asiye na upendo hamjui Mungu, maana Mungu ni upendo.

⁹Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.

⁹Na Mungu alionyesha upendo wake kwetu kwa kumtuma Mwanae wa pekee ulimwenguni, ili tuwe na uzima kwa njia yake.

¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

¹⁰Hivi ndivyo upendo ulivyo: si kwamba sisi tulikuwa tumempenda Mungu kwanza, bali kwamba yeye alitupenda hata akamtuma Mwanae awe sadaka ya kutuondolea dhambi zetu.

¹¹Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

¹¹Wapenzi wangu, ikiwa Mungu alitupenda hivyo, basi, nasi tunapaswa kupendana.

¹²No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:

¹²Hakuna mtu aliyekwisha mwona Mungu kamwe; lakini kama tukipendana Mungu anaishi katika muungano nasi, na upendo wake unakamilika ndani yetu.

¹³hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.

¹³Tunajua kwamba tunaishi katika umoja na Mungu, naye Mungu anaishi katika umoja nasi, kwani yeye ametupa Roho wake.

¹⁴And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world.

¹⁴Sisi tumeona na kuwaambia wengine kwamba Baba alimtuma Mwanae awe Mwokozi wa ulimwengu.

¹⁵Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.

¹⁵Kila mtu anayekiri kwamba Yesu ni Mwana wa Mungu, Mungu anaishi katika muungano na mtu huyo, naye anaishi katika muungano na Mungu.

¹⁶And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

¹⁶Basi, sisi tunajua na tunaamini upendo alio nao Mungu kwetu sisi. Mungu ni upendo, na kila mtu aishiye katika upendo, anaishi katika muungano na Mungu, na Mungu anaishi katika muungano naye.

¹⁷Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is, even so are we in this world.

¹⁷Upendo umekamilika ndani yetu kusudi tuweze kuwa na ujasiri Siku ile ya Hukumu; kwani maisha yetu hapa duniani ni kama yale ya Kristo.

¹⁸There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love.

¹⁸Palipo na upendo hapana uoga; naam, upendo kamili hufukuza uoga wote. Basi, mtu mwenye uoga hajakamilika bado katika upendo, kwani uoga huhusikana na adhabu.

¹⁹We love, because he first loved us.

¹⁹Sisi tuna upendo kwa sababu Mungu alitupenda kwanza.

²⁰If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen.

²⁰Mtu akisema kwamba anampenda Mungu, hali anamchukia ndugu yake, huyo ni mwongo. Maana mtu asiyempenda ndugu yake ambaye anamwona, hawezi kumpenda Mungu ambaye hamwoni.

²¹And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.

²¹Basi, hii ndiyo amri aliyotupa Kristo: Anayempenda Mungu anapaswa pia kumpenda ndugu yake.