¹Beloved, don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have 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.

²By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has 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 who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. 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!

⁴You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who 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 they speak of the world, and the world hears them.

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

⁶We are of God. He who knows God listens to us. He who is not of God doesn’t listen to us. 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 everyone who loves is born of God, and knows God.

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

⁸He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.

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

⁹By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only 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.

¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice “atoning sacrifice” is from the Greek “hilasmos,” an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation—the sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath because of our sin. 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 loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.

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

¹²No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God remains in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

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

¹³By this we know that we remain in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

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

¹⁴We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as the Savior of the world.

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

¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains 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.

¹⁶We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains 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.

¹⁷In this love has been made perfect among 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 casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears 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 him, because he first loved us.

¹⁹Sisi tuna upendo kwa sababu Mungu alitupenda kwanza.

²⁰If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has 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.

²¹This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother.

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