1 JOHN 2 [†]My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin,  y we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2[†] z He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but  a also for the sins of the whole world. 3[†]And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we  b keep his commandments. 4Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments  c is a liar, and  c the truth is not in him, 5[†]but whoever  d keeps his word, in him truly  e the love of God is perfected.  f By this we may know that we are in him: 6[†]whoever says he  g abides in him  h ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

7[†]Beloved, I am writing you  i no new commandment, but  j an old commandment  k that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8[†]At the same time, it is  l a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because [1]  m the darkness is passing away and  n the true light is already shining. 9[†]Whoever says he is in the light and  o hates his brother is still in darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him [2] there is no  p cause for stumbling. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and  q walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12[†] I am writing to you, little children,

because  r your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.

13 I am writing to you, fathers,

because you know  s him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men,

because  t you have overcome the evil one.

I write to you, children,

because  u you know the Father.

14 I write to you, fathers,

because you know  s him who is from the beginning.

I write to you, young men,

because  t you are strong,

and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

15[†] v Do not love the world or the things in the world.  w If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16[†]For all that is in the world— x the desires of the flesh and  y the desires of the eyes and pride of life [3]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17[†]And  z the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

18[†]Children,  a it is the last hour, and as you have heard that  b antichrist is coming, so now  c many antichrists have come.  d Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19[†] e They went out from us, but they were not of us; for  f if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out,  g that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20[†]But you have been  h anointed by  i the Holy One, and  j you all have knowledge. [4] 21I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22[†]Who is the liar but  k he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is  b the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23[†] l No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24[†]Let  m what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then  n you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is the promise that he made to us [5]— o eternal life.

26I write these things to you about  p those who are trying to deceive you. 27[†]But  q the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and  r you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and  s is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

28[†]And now, little children, abide in him, so that  t when he appears  u we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his  v coming. 29[†]If you know that  w he is righteous, you may be sure that  x everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.