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

¹My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

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

²and he is the 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 hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

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

⁴He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

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

⁵but whoso keepeth his word, in him verily hath the love of God been perfected. Hereby we know that we are in him:

⁶uyo unoti unogara maari unofanirawo kufamba saizvozvo sezvaakafamba iye.

⁶he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.

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

⁷Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye heard.

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

⁸Again, a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth.

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

⁹He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now.

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

¹⁰He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him.

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

¹¹But he that hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes.

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

¹²I write unto you, [my] little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

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

¹³I write unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the evil one. I have written unto you, little children, because ye know 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 have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one.

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

¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man 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.

¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

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

¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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

¹⁸Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that antichrist cometh, even now have there arisen many antichrists; whereby 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.

¹⁹They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they all are not of us.

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

²⁰And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things.

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

²¹I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know 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 but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, [even] he that denieth the Father and the Son.

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

²³Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.

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

²⁴As for you, let that abide in you which ye heard from the beginning. If that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.

²⁵Uye ichi ndicho chivimbiso chaakativimbisa upenyu hwusingaperi.

²⁵And this is the promise which he promised us, [even] the life eternal.

²⁶Zvinhu izvi ndakakunyorerai pamusoro pavanokutsausai.

²⁶These things have I written unto you concerning them that would lead 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 as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you; concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him.

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

²⁸And now, [my] little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

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

²⁹If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him.