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

¹Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Whoever loves the Father also loves the child who is born of him.

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

²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

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

³For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.

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

⁴For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith.

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

⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

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.

⁶This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁷Basi, wako mashahidi watatu:

⁷For there are three who testify Only a few recent manuscripts add “in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth” :

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

⁸the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and the three agree as one.

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

⁹If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is God’s testimony which he has 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.

¹⁰He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who doesn’t believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.

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

¹¹The testimony is this, that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

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

¹²He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life.

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

¹³These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

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

¹⁴This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.

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

¹⁵And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him.

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.

¹⁶If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life for those who sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death. I don’t say that he should make a request concerning this.

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

¹⁷All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death.

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

¹⁸We know that whoever is born of God doesn’t sin, but he who was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one doesn’t touch him.

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

¹⁹We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

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.

²⁰We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

²¹Watoto wangu, epukaneni na sanamu za miungu.

²¹Little children, keep yourselves from idols.