1 Ἀγαπητοί, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα, εἰ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. 2 Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκεται*γινωσκεται f35 [67%] RP,HF,CP ¦ γινωσκετε A,B,C [25%] OC,TR,NU ¦ γινωσκομεν ℵ [8%] (Since most versions are based on TR or NU, we are used to the 2nd person, which may have contributed to the use of this passage as a ‘litmus’ test for demonization.) τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ· πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν, 3 καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ*ομολογει f35 ℵ (73.5%) RP,HF,CP ¦ 1 τον A,B (24.2%) OC,TR,NU ¦ omit sentence [homoioteleuton] (2%) ¦ one other variant (0.2%) Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν*χριστον f35 (91.4%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ --- A,B (6%) NU ¦ κυριον ℵ (alone) ¦ omit sentence [homoioteleuton] (2%) ¦ two other variants (0.4%) ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα*εν σαρκι εληλυθοτα f35 ℵ (94.8%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ --- A,B (2.6%) NU ¦ omit sentence [homoioteleuton] (2%) ¦ three other variants (0.6%) ἐκ*εκ rell ¦ --- [30%] τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν· καί, τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου, ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται—καί, νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη.

4 Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστε, τεκνία, καὶ νενικήκατε αὐτούς, ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν ἢ ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ. 5 Αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου εἰσίν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου λαλοῦσιν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει. 6 Ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν· ὁ γινώσκων τὸν Θεὸν ἀκούει ἡμῶν· ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἀκούει ἡμῶν—ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης.

7 Ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν Θεόν. 8 Ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν Θεόν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν. 9 Ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν· ὅτι τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ Θεὸς*ο θεος rell ¦ --- [15%] εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα ζήσωμεν δι᾿ αὐτοῦ. 10 Ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη, οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήσαμεν*ηγαπησαμεν f35 A [98.2%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ηγαπηκαμεν B [1.6%] NU ¦ ηγαπησεν ℵ τὸν Θεὸν ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς—καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. 11 Ἀγαπητοί, εἰ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν.

12 Θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται. Ἐὰν ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη αὐτοῦ τετελειωμένη ἐστὶν ἐν ἡμῖν.*τετελειωμενη εστιν εν ημιν f35 (90.7%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ∼ 3412 A (7.9%) NU ¦ ∼ 1342 ℵB (0.8%) ¦ three other variants (0.6%) 13 Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ μένομεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ δέδωκεν ἡμῖν. 14 Καί, ἡμεῖς τεθεάμεθα καὶ μαρτυροῦμεν ὅτι ὁ Πατὴρ ἀπέσταλκεν τὸν Υἱὸν Σωτῆρα τοῦ κόσμου. 15 Ὃς ἂν*αν f35 ℵ,A [92.5%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ εαν B [7.5%] NU ὁμολογήσῃ*ομολογηση rell ¦ ομολογησει [16%] ¦ ολολογη A [1%] ¦ ομολογει [1%] ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ μένει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ Θεῷ. 16 Καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πεπιστεύκαμεν τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ μένων ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐν τῷ Θεῷ μένει, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν αὐτῷ.*αυτω f35 A [37%] OC,TR ¦ 1 μενει ℵB [63%] RP,HF,CP,NU (Since the repetition of the verb is unnecessary, does it become the harder reading?) 17 Ἐν τούτῳ τετελείωται ἡ ἀγάπη μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν· ἵνα παρρησίαν ἔχωμεν*εχωμεν rell ¦ εχομεν ℵ [12%] ¦ σχωμεν [1%] ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως, ὅτι καθὼς ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ.

18 Φόβος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ· ἀλλ᾿ ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον, ὅτι ὁ φόβος κόλασιν ἔχει· ὁ δὲ φοβούμενος οὐ τετελείωται ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ. 19 Ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν αὐτὸν*αυτον f35 [84%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ --- A,B [2.6%] NU ¦ τον θεον ℵ048 [13.4%] ὅτι αὐτὸς πρῶτος*πρωτος rell ¦ πρωτον [15%] ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς.

20 Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ ὅτι «Ἀγαπῶ τὸν Θεόν,» καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ μισεῖ,*μισει f35 048 [74%] ¦ μιση ℵA,B [26%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU (The point of the argument hinges on the hating being fact, so the Indicative is correct.) ψεύστης ἐστίν. Ὁ γὰρ μὴ ἀγαπῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ*αυτου rell ¦ --- [1%] OC ὃν ἑώρακεν, τὸν Θεὸν ὃν οὐχ ἑώρακεν πῶς*πως f35 A,048 (95.8%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ου ℵB (4.2%) NU δύναται ἀγαπᾶν; 21 Καί, ταύτην τὴν ἐντολὴν ἔχομεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ· ἵνα ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν Θεὸν ἀγαπᾷ καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.