¹Vana vangu vaduku, zvinhu izvi ndinokunyorerai kuti musatadza. Uye kana munhu achitadza, tine Murevereri kuna Baba, Jesu Kristu wakarurama;

¹My little children, these things I write to you, that ye may not sin: and if any one may sin, an advocate we have with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one,

²ndiye mudzikinuri wezvivi zvedu; uye kwete wezvedu chete, asiwo wezvenyika yose.

²and he — he is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world,

³Ndizvo zvatinoziva nazvo kuti tinomuziva kana tichichengeta mirairo yake.

³and in this we know that we have known him, if his commands we may keep;

⁴Uyo unoti: Ndinomuziva asi asingachengeti mirairo yake murevi wenhema, nechokwadi hachizi maari;

⁴he who is saying, `I have known him,` and his command is not keeping, a liar he is, and in him the truth is not;

⁵asi ani nani unochengeta shoko rake, rudo rwaMwari rwakaperedzerwa maari. Ndizvo zvinotizivisa kuti tiri maari;

⁵and whoever may keep his word, truly in him the love of God hath been perfected; in this we know that in him we are.

⁶uyo unoti unogara maari unofanirawo kufamba saizvozvo sezvaakafamba iye.

⁶He who is saying in him he doth remain, ought according as he walked also himself so to walk.

⁷Hama dzangu, handinyori murairo mutsva kwamuri, asi murairo musharu wamakanga munawo kubva pakutanga; murairo musharu ishoko ramakanzwa kubva pakutanga.

⁷Brethren, a new command I write not to you, but an old command, that ye had from the beginning — the old command is the word that ye heard from the beginning;

⁸Ndinopamhazve kukunyorerai murairo mutsva, chiri chinhu chechokwadi maari nemamuri; nekuti rima rinopfuura, zvino chiedza chechokwadi chovhenekera.

⁸again, a new command I write to you, which thing is true in him and in you, because the darkness doth pass away, and the true light doth now shine;

⁹Uyo unoti uri muchiedza, asi achivenga hama yake uchiri murima kusvikira zvino.

⁹he who is saying, in the light he is, and his brother is hating, in the darkness he is till now;

¹⁰Uyo unoda hama yake unogara muchiedza, hapane chigumbuso maari.

¹⁰he who is loving his brother, in the light he doth remain, and a stumbling-block in him there is not;

¹¹Asi uyo unovenga hama yake uri murima, iye unofamba murima haazivi kwaanoenda, nekuti rima rakapofumadza meso ake.

¹¹and he who is hating his brother, in the darkness he is, and in the darkness he doth walk, and he hath not known whither he doth go, because the darkness did blind his eyes.

¹²Ndinonyora kwamuri, vana vaduku, nekuti zvivi zvenyu makazvikangamwirwa nekuda kwezita rake.

¹²I write to you, little children, because the sins have been forgiven you through his name;

¹³Ndinonyora kwamuri madzibaba, nekuti makamuziva iye wakavapo kubva pakutanga. Ndinonyora kwamuri, majaya, nekuti makakunda wakaipa. Ndinonyora kwamuri vana vaduku, nekuti makaziva Baba.

¹³I write to you, fathers, because ye have known him who [is] from the beginning; I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil. I write to you, little youths, because ye have known the Father:

¹⁴Ndanyora kwamuri, madzibaba, nekuti makamuziva iye wakange aripo kubva pakutanga. Ndanyora kwamuri, majaya, nekuti makasimba uye shoko raMwari rinogara mamuri zvekare mukakunda wakaipa.

¹⁴I did write to you, fathers, because ye have known him who [is] from the beginning; I did write to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God in you doth remain, and ye have overcome the evil.

¹⁵Musada nyika kunyange zvinhu zviri munyika. Kana munhu achida nyika, rudo rwaBaba harusi maari.

¹⁵Love not ye the world, nor the things in the world; if any one doth love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,

¹⁶Nekuti zvose zviri munyika, kuchiva kwenyama, nokuchiva kwameso, nokuzvikudza koupenyu hazvibvi kuna Baba asi zvinobva panyika.

¹⁶because all that [is] in the world — the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the ostentation of the life — is not of the Father, but of the world,

¹⁷Uye nyika inopfuura nokuchiva kwayo; asi unoita kuda kwaMwari unogara nokusingaperi.

¹⁷and the world doth pass away, and the desire of it, and he who is doing the will of God, he doth remain — to the age.

¹⁸Vana vaduku, inguva yekupedzisira; uye sezvamakanzwa kuti mupikisi waKristu uchauya, nazvino vapikisi waKristu vazhinji vavapo; ndizvo zvinotizivisa kuti yava nguva yekupedzisira.

¹⁸Little youths, it is the last hour; and even as ye heard that the antichrist doth come, even now antichrists have become many — whence we know that it is the last hour;

¹⁹Vakabuda kwatiri, asi vakanga vasati vari vedu, nekuti dai vaive vedu, vangadai vaigara nesu; asi vakabuda kuti varatidzwe kuti vose havasi vedu.

¹⁹out of us they went forth, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but — that they might be manifested that they are not all of us.

²⁰Asi imwi mune kuzodzwa kunobva kuna iye Mutsvene, uye munoziva zvinhu zvose.

²⁰And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and have known all things;

²¹Handina kukunyorerai nekuti hamuzivi chokwadi, asi nekuti munochiziva, uye nekuti hakuna nhema dzingabva pachokwadi.

²¹I did not write to you because ye have not known the truth, but because ye have known it, and because no lie is of the truth.

²²Ndianiko murevi wenhema kunze kwaiye unoramba kuti Jesu ndiKristu? Ndiye mupikisi waKristu, unoramba Baba noMwanakomana.

²²Who is the liar, except he who is denying that Jesus is the Christ? this one is the antichrist who is denying the Father and the Son;

²³Ani nani unoramba Mwanakomana, ndiye usina Baba, asi unobvuma Mwanakomana una Babawo.

²³every one who is denying the Son, neither hath he the Father, [he who is confessing the Son hath the Father also.]

²⁴Kana muri imwi zvamakanzwa kubva pakutanga ngazvigare mamuri, nemwiwo muchagara muMwanakomana nomuna Baba.

²⁴Ye, then, that which ye heard from the beginning, in you let it remain; if in you may remain that which from the beginning ye did hear, ye also in the Son and in the Father shall remain,

²⁵Uye ichi ndicho chivimbiso chaakativimbisa upenyu hwusingaperi.

²⁵and this is the promise that He did promise us — the life the age-during.

²⁶Zvinhu izvi ndakakunyorerai pamusoro pavanokutsausai.

²⁶These things I did write to you concerning those leading you astray;

²⁷Asi imwi kuzodzwa kwamakagamuchira kwaari kunogara mamuri, uye hamutsvaki kuti mudzidziswe nomunhu; asi kuzodzwa ikoku sezvakunokudzidzisai pamusoro pezvinhu zvose, uye kuri chokwadi, dzisati dziri nhema, uye kunyange sezvakwakakudzidzisai, muchagara maari.

²⁷and you, the anointing that ye did receive from him, in you it doth remain, and ye have no need that any one may teach you, but as the same anointing doth teach you concerning all, and is true, and is not a lie, and even as was taught you, ye shall remain in him.

²⁸Uye ikozvino, vana vaduku, garai maari, kuti kana achizoonekwa, tive nechivimbo, tirege kunyara pamberi pake pakuvuya kwake.

²⁸And now, little children, remain in him, that when he may be manifested, we may have boldness, and may not be ashamed before him, in his presence;

²⁹Kana muchiziva kuti iye wakarurama, imwi zivaiwo kuti umwe neumwe unoita zvakarurama wakaberekwa naye.

²⁹if ye know that he is righteous, know ye that every one doing the righteousness, of him hath been begotten.