1 Wat van die begin af was, wat ons gehoor het, wat ons met ons oë gesien het, wat ons aanskou het en ons hande getas het aangaande die Woord van die lewe --
2 en die lewe is geopenbaar, en ons het dit gesien, en ons getuig en verkondig aan julle die ewige lewe wat by die Vader was en aan ons geopenbaar is --
3 wat ons gesien en gehoor het, verkondig ons aan julle, sodat julle ook gemeenskap met ons kan hê; en ons gemeenskap is met die Vader en met sy Seun, Jesus Christus.
4 En ons skrywe hierdie dinge aan julle, sodat julle blydskap volkome kan wees.
5 En dit is die verkondiging wat ons van Hom gehoor het en aan julle verkondig: God is lig, en geen duisternis is in Hom nie.
6 As ons sê dat ons met Hom gemeenskap het en in die duisternis wandel, dan lieg ons en doen nie die waarheid nie.
7 Maar as ons in die lig wandel soos Hy in die lig is, dan het ons gemeenskap met mekaar; en die bloed van Jesus Christus, sy Seun, reinig ons van alle sonde.
8 As ons sê dat ons geen sonde het nie, mislei ons onsself en die waarheid is nie in ons nie.
9 As ons ons sondes bely, Hy is getrou en regverdig om ons die sondes te vergewe en ons van alle ongeregtigheid te reinig.
10 As ons sê dat ons nie gesondig het nie, dan maak ons Hom tot 'n leuenaar en is sy woord nie in ons nie.
1 That which was from the first, which has come to our ears, and which we have seen with our eyes, looking on it and touching it with our hands, about the Word of life
2 (And the life was made clear to us, and we have seen it and are witnessing to it and giving you word of that eternal life which was with the Father and was seen by us);
3 We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ:
4 And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be made complete.
5 This is the word which came to us from him and which we give to you, that God is light and in him there is nothing dark.
6 If we say we are joined to him, and are walking still in the dark, our words are false and our acts are untrue:
7 But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, we are all united with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son makes us clean from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are false to ourselves and there is nothing true in us.
9 If we say openly that we have done wrong, he is upright and true to his word, giving us forgiveness of sins and making us clean from all evil.
10 If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us.